September 7, 2008 DAYS TO GO: 228 Organize! WHAT Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual global event organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with numerous International Organizations and National Coordinating Committees that Celebrates, Recognizes, and Mobilizes the year-round contributions of young people to build their communities and their world through voluntary service, and the contributions made by the community (public, private, and nonprofit sectors) for empowering young people, especially through mentoring. VISION On Global Youth Service Day, millions of young people in countries everywhere will highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. This day will be a way for local, national, and international organizations to: BUILD the capacity of an international network of organizations that promotes youth participation, service, and learning; EDUCATE the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world; MOBILIZE youth and adults to meet the needs of their communities through volunteering; and LEARN and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today. HOW All schools, faith-based groups, and youth-related organizations are encouraged to plan and highlight youth-led community service projects on Global Youth Service Day. Organizations may want to highlight existing projects to the media and surrounding community, or may choose to organize special projects and events that involve the broader community on GYSD. At the national level, National Coordinating Committees are being formed to help promote Global Youth Service Day through a network of organizations as well as to the media, the public and private sectors. Global Youth Service Day was first created by Youth Service America, a resource center and network of 200+ organizations working to engage more young people in quality volunteer opportunities. At the international level, Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with the International Coordinating Committee (ICC), are working to promote, organize, and coordinate this event. The ICC supports and coordinates the distribution of the general materials for promoting and organizing the day. For a list of current members, check out Who's Who. GET INVOLVED I want to Get Involved I want to search for Celebrations in my Country I would like to speak to someone about getting involved or about GYSD WHY Learn more about the rationale behind Global Youth Service Day, why the celebration exists and what we hope to accomplish by reading about the specific issues the project addresses.