Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning.

Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.

Global Youth Service Day Goals
Mobilize

• youth to identify and address the needs of their communities;
• organizations to provide opportunities for youth engagement;
• media and policy makers to promote and raise awareness of young people as assets and resources to their communities.

Support

• youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement;
• schools and organizations through training and technical assistance, grants, and resources that enable them to engage youth.

Sustain

• community improvement through year-round engagement of youth as leaders and problem-solvers.

The History of Global Youth Service Day

In 1988, Youth Service America (YSA) and the Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) organized the first National Youth Service Day, then called, “A Day in the Life of Service.” Nearly 1,000 programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated. In 1990, YSA joined forces with COOL, the United States Conference of Mayors, Weekly Reader, and the Jefferson Awards to celebrate the day. More than 1,500 programs, a bipartisan group of 331 mayors, and 13 governors planned special service events, recognition and award ceremonies, as well as city-wide youth forums. In 2000, YSA founded Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) by adapting the successful model of National Youth Service Day in the United States. Since then, GYSD has grown to include hundreds of partners and millions of participating young people worldwide.