Mark your calendars - GYSD 2010 will be April 23-25

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.

Learn more about Global Youth Service Day or read more for highlights of GYSD 2009

Youth Service America's 21st Global Youth Service Day was a resounding success. Lasting three days, April 24-26, thousands of events around the world celebrated and recognized the contributions young people make to their communities every day of the year. State Farm Companies Foundation was the U.S. Presenting Sponsor and funded service-learning grants for projects in the U.S. and Canada.

2009 GYSD Highlights Include:

• 1,950 GYSD projects were registered at www.GYSD.org, almost twice as many projects as in 2008.
• Lead Agencies and National Partners engaged an unprecedented number of youth. Serve DC coordinated over 70 projects throughout the city; 50 organizations hosted Servapalooza in San Diego, CA; 450 Boys and Girls Clubs coordinated GYSD events across the U.S. • International Lead Agencies registered a record number of participants. 19,000 young people volunteered in Hungary and 260,000 volunteered in Taiwan. GYSD events also occurred in countries such as Liberia, Rwanda, and Pakistan.
• Miley Cyrus and Youth Service America launched Miley.YSA.org and asked kids to change the world. Over 800 young people registered on the site.
• The Carter Twins and CMT cable channel created a PSA promoting Global Youth Service Day.
• Youth Service America and UnitedHealthcare published “First Responders”, a service-learning guide that focuses on childhood obesity.
• President Obama signed the Kennedy Serve America Act, which highlights Semester of Service and Global Youth Service Day.
• Senators Dodd and Murkowski received the Harris Wofford Award for Public Officials in honor of their ongoing support for service and service-learning.
• Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian expressed YSA’s mission to increase the number of engaged youth in service: "A single individual who spends 1,000 hours doing good deserves respect, but if 1,000 people each spend one hour as a volunteer, the benefits to society are even broader and more enduring.”

This year youth all over the world focused on critical issues including literacy, childhood obesity, and climate change. To learn more about the projects, visit http://www.GYSD.org/map.