YVCKC is the lead agency in charge of coordinating the Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) activities for the Greater Kansas City Area. GYSD, sponsored by Youth Service America, is the largest service event in the world, where millions of youth from all over the nation and many countries around the world come together and dedicate their time to volunteering at service projects during the same weekend. Every year, groups of youth plan various ways to improve their communities by addressing the more serious, though oftentimes neglected, issues that are important in sustaining a healthy, safe, and positive city. GYSD is also, a celebration of youth services, its main purpose being to encourage all youth to make a difference and give back. We're hoping to have a big turnout here in Kansas City!
As the lead agency for Kansas City, YVC is committed to providing resources and support for youth who want to serve and agencies who want to host projects. Read below to find out what’s in store for 2010!
Information for Individuals
Information for Groups
Information on the GYSD Kick-Off Celebration
How to use Service Learning in your GYSD Project
INDIVIDUALS
If you want to participate in Global Youth Service Day, but you don't know where to volunteer, we can help you find a place to start. Youth Volunteer Corps will be hosting two large service projects on Saturday, April 24th.
SERVICE WITH KCMO PARKS AND RECREATION! In the morning we'll be doing a massive clean- up at Blue Valley Park, as well as a couple of other surrounding inner city parks. Volunteers will be beautifying the area, mostly painting and cleaning equipment and shelters, lake maintenance, picking up trash, and doing some landscaping. We'll even be holding a "trash olympics" competition at the end of the clean-up.
TIME: April 24th. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Everyone will meet at the Blue Valley Park (23rd St. & Topping Ave., KCMO).
MAP of the location!
HARVESTERS FOOD BANK! Our second Global Youth Service Day project will be to help sort and pack food at Harvesters, Kansas City's Largest Food Bank. Harvesters serves over a million meals a month and provides invaluable resources to people who need help in our city. We'll have two shifts of 50 people helping out at their warehouse. This is a great project for groups, so sign up and bring friends!
TIME: April 24th. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (1st shift); 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (2nd shift)
LOCATION: 3801 Topping, KCMO
MAP of the location!
To participate in one of the YVC sponsored service events, simply contact us to sign up! We're going to need a lot of help, so bring friends. In addition, you will need to fill out these forms and bring them with you on the day of the service event.
GROUPS
Global Youth Service Day is a great time to organize a group of people to do service together. If your group already knows where you plan to do service, contact YVC to register your project with us. Once you have registered, we'll keep you updated on our kick-off celebration and possible media coverage. Please also take some time to browse through our resources on how to successfully plan and implement a fun, educational service project.
If you know you want to do a service project, but don't yet have one set we can help. Contact us to sign up!
KICK-OFF EVENT
Our kick-off celebration will be Saturday, April 24th, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The event will take place in the Blue Valley Park (23rd St. & Topping Ave., KCMO). All volunteers participating in any of YVC’s KCMO Parks and Recreation service projects, will meet here for a free breakfast, guest speakers, and our fun service- learning activity. We will also use this time to get everyone checked in, supplies handed out, and site locations confirmed. However, all youth and adults participating in service that weekend are welcome to join us for the celebration and be recognized for their hard work!
SERVICE LEARNING
While service projects help the community in many ways, they are also great learning opportunities for the youth involved in the project. At YVC, we try to include service learning in all of the service projects we do. If you are planning a project for Global Youth Service Day, consider spending time doing an educational activity with your group that will help them to more fully appreciate their experience. Below is a list of resources that can help you better understand what service learning is, the steps to including service learning in your project, and tips to make your service learning successful. For additional resources, please contact us.
What is Service Learning? A basic overview of what service learning is.
Service Learning Steps and Examples: A step-by-step guide for implement service learning in your service project. Included in this document are four great examples of service learning lessons that have been used at past YVC projects.
Keys to Successful Service Learning Projects: Some helpful things to keep in mind when planning your service learning lesson.
Service Learning Websites and Books: A list of resources that will give you more information about service learning.
