INDEPENDENT SECTOR Youth Report Demonstrates Lifelong Impact of Youth Service

11/20/2002

From: Carla Bundy or Patricia Nash, 202-467-6100, both of the INDEPENDENT SECTOR, or Dave DeCicco of Youth Service America, 202-296-2992, ext. 11

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- A new report released today by INDEPENDENT SECTOR and Youth Service America illustrates the strong impact of youth service on the giving and volunteering habits of adults. Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service reports that adults who engaged in volunteering in their youth give more money and volunteer more time than adults who began their philanthropy later in life.

Forty-four percent of adults volunteer and two-thirds of these volunteers began volunteering their time when they were young. These adults are twice as likely to give their time as they grow older. Sixty-one percent of adult volunteers aged 36 to 40 volunteered as youth, whereas 39 percent of adult volunteers did not. Households where adults volunteered as youth give slightly more than households that started their giving in adulthood. For instance, households in the middle-income range of $25,000 to $49,000 give an average of $1,124; households that were not active as youth give an average contribution of $802.

Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service reveals that the community service ethic instilled in youth influences the giving and volunteering patterns of adults across every age group and income. This involvement creates a strong pattern of civic engagement that persists into adulthood.

This report is part of the INDEPENDENT SECTOR Giving and Volunteering Signature Series. The series is made possible by the generous support of MetLife Foundation. The research for Giving and Volunteering in the United States is sponsored by The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the members of INDEPENDENT SECTOR.

Recent data show an increasing trend of youth participation over the past 50 years. Youth engagement rates first spiked during the early 1960s during the Great Society programs of the Johnson administration but declined during the Vietnam War and the late 1970s. The last 20 years have seen a marked increase in youth participation rates, with the years from 1992 to 1996 showing the highest rate of youth volunteering at 67 percent.

"Youth are truly an untapped resource. All nonprofits -- those that are devoted to youth issues and those that serve other causes - must fully harness the potential of youth service in every aspect of their programs. If we are to ensure that our communities have the volunteer and philanthropic resources for the future, we must start to instill the values of service in our young people today," said Sara E. Melondez, president and CEO of INDEPENDENT SECTOR.

Youth involvement also encourages family volunteering in future generations. Nearly 60 percent of adults who also volunteered in their youth had parents who volunteered. And 70 percent of adults who volunteered as youth now volunteer with their children. These multigenerational households also give nearly twice as much. Contributing households where neither parents nor youth volunteer give an average of $1,576. Households in which both parents and youth volunteer give an average of $2,895.

"The research draws an important connection between youth engagement, and lifelong volunteering and philanthropy, underscoring that an ethic of service cannot simply be turned on like a switch when a young adult turns eighteen," said Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. "Youth in America have a tremendous amount of energy, commitment, and creativity to bring to the problem-solving tables of their communities," he added.

Other types of youth involvement also predict adult philanthropic behavior. Adults who volunteered, raised money, participated in student government, belonged to a youth group or were active in a religious organization in their youth also display higher levels of giving and volunteering. The most involved youth, those who participated in all five areas, become the most generous adults, giving almost three times as much as others.

Engaging Youth in Lifelong Service gives recommendations to overcome barriers to youth involvement and discusses the implications of youth service for the nonprofit sector in general. The report provides compelling examples of how nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross, The Food Project, and Greater DC Cares provide opportunities for youth community service and encourages nonprofit organizations to create more opportunities for young people.

Engaging Youth is based on analysis from INDEPENDENT SECTOR's Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 2001 national telephone survey of more than 4,000 adults.

Engaging Youth is available for $15.95 and $19.95 (members/non-members) plus shipping and handling from the INDEPENDENT SECTOR publications center at 1-888-860-8118.

INDEPENDENT SECTOR is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of more than 700 national nonprofit organizations, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Our mission is to promote, strengthen, and advance the nonprofit and philanthropic community to foster private initiative for the public good.

Youth Service America (YSA) is a resource center and premier alliance of 300+ organizations committed to increasing the quantity and quality of opportunities for young Americans to serve locally, nationally, or globally. Founded in 1986, YSA's mission is to strengthen the Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Scale of the youth service and service-learning fields. A strong youth service network will create healthy communities, and foster citizenship, knowledge, and the personal development of young people.