Description
YouthServe empowers youth leadership through community service in our four programs: Service Education , Community Action , Urban Service Camps, and the Youth Leadership Councils.
Service Education
Service Education is a four session service-learning program that is conducted in classrooms in the Birmingham Area. This service-learning program is designed to promote awareness of social issues and allow students to explore their own roles in society. Service-learning combines community service with classroom instruction focusing on critical, reflective thinking, as well as personal and civic responsibility. The Service Education Program utilizes community volunteers to conduct interactive workshops and facilitate challenging discussions with youth.
Community Action
This program offers year-round opportunities for all teens, ages 13-18, to volunteer in the Birmingham area. At these projects, we not only learn about partner organizations and needs in the community, but also make a difference by doing hands-on volunteer work.
Weekend WorkDays- a volunteer project at least one Saturday/ Sunday each month.
WorkCrews - a volunteer project held one afternoon a week for several weeks at a time.
Urban Service Camps
Our Summer Urban Service Camps are both exciting and popular, bringing young people together to live downtown for a week. Three camps are held each year, and YouthServe provides a safe place for teens of all backgrounds and races to hang out and talk about their commuities, politics, activism, and expression. During the day we volunteer with neighboring organizations, play basketball, 4-square, ride public transportation, visit nearby places like Sloss Furnaces and Railroad Park, and have discussions about prejudice reduction and leadership.
Youth Leadership Councils
Youth Philanthropy Council - Each year, YouthServe selects a diverse group of high school students, 15-18 years old, to understand and explore the grant-making process and the world of philanthropy. The students spend several months learning and listening to local speakers, and then embark on their grant-making process by awarding grants to local organizations!
Youth Action Council - This year-long council is comprised of area teens, ages 13-18 who help plan and organize the Community Action volunteer projects, while serving as leaders to their peers.
