Sponsored by Youth Service America and supported by the White House Office of USA Freedom Corps, National Youth Service Day (NYSD) is the largest service event in the world. For the past 14 years, NYSD has helped millions of young Americans identify and address the needs of their communities. During this special day, children take part in service activities that range from planting trees in deforested valleys to making movies that encourage others to help children in need.
Benjamin Orr students show their enthusiasm for the day's events. © 2003 Dan/Danspix
National Youth Service Day has three goals:
- Mobilize youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service.
- Recruit the next generation of volunteers.
- Educate the public about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders.
On April 11, 2003, an enthusiastic group of students, teachers, government officials, and sponsors gathered at the Benjamin Orr Elementary School in Washington, DC, to launch the 15th annual National Youth Service Day. The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) worked with Youth Service America and the District of Columbia’s Commission on National and Community Service to plan the event.
Participants in the opening ceremony included Steven A. Culbertson, President and CEO of Youth Service America; District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams; Richard A. Thornburgh, former U.S. Attorney General; J. Robert Flores, OJJDP Administrator; and Principal Mark Harris and the students of Benjamin Orr Elementary School.
To begin the ceremony, District Mayor Anthony A. Williams presented Youth Mayor Michael Clark with an official proclamation heralding April 11, 2003, as Youth Service Day in the District. Calling volunteerism one of his “favorite activities,” Mayor Williams commended the students of Benjamin Orr for their commitment to community service.
In recognition of DOJ’s role as a national partner in National Youth Service Day, the National Youth Court Center, which is sponsored by OJJDP, awarded minigrants to 50 youth court programs. The minigrants will enable the youth court programs to plan and conduct events in support of National Youth Service Day. (Click here to see a list of minigrant recipients.)
President Bush sent greetings to all those participating in the opening ceremony and the day’s events. “National Youth Service Day is a great example of what can happen when dedicated individuals come together to serve a cause greater than self,” the President said in a press release.
Orr students participate in a service-learning project. © 2003 Dan/Danspix
The President’s USA Freedom Corps and Students in Service to America initiatives ask that all Americans dedicate at least 4,000 hours during the course of their lives to community service. Attendees at the opening ceremony were encouraged to pledge their service by signing a banner that would be sent to the President.
Benjamin Orr Elementary School and DOJ have been partners for more than a decade. In 1991, under the Legal Advocates in Education Program that was started by Attorney General Richard A. Thornburgh, OJP adopted the school as its partner in community service activities.
Former Attorney General Richard A. Thornburgh and OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores at the opening ceremony. © 2003 Dan/Danspix
During the opening ceremony of NYSD, J. Robert Flores and Robbie Callaway (Senior Vice-President of Boys & Girls Clubs of America) strengthened that longstanding partnership by jointly announcing a new Boys & Girls Club program at Benjamin Orr Elementary School. The club will be funded through the OJP grant program Establishing, Enhancing, and Expanding Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
“Orr School students will now have a safe neighborhood club where they and their families can come after school and on weekends,” said Flores. Citing OJP’s 12-year relationship with Benjamin Orr Elementary School through the Partners in Education Program, Mr. Flores added, “The club will provide the students with a caring, local presence and an opportunity to participate in educational and recreational activities aimed at the development of resilient and well-rounded young people.”
The opening ceremony at Benjamin Orr Elementary School began a weekend of service opportunities that extended across the city, the nation, and the world. More than 3 million U.S. youth and children from 127 other countries participated in thousands of service and service-learning projects addressing literacy, hunger, public safety, the environment, and healthcare.
The Anacostia High School Color Guard and the Orr School's Drill Team and Glee Club open the day. © 2003 Dan/Danspix
In the District of Columbia alone, more than 8,000 youth participated in more than 50 different community service projects. District youth conducted a learning fair on social and leadership skills for more than 200 preschoolers, planted trees and flowers in memory of the victims of September 11, and cleaned up the Anacostia riverbank, among other projects. Across the nation, youth served meals at homeless shelters, visited nursing homes, tutored younger children, and beautified their communities.
After the opening ceremony, Benjamin Orr Elementary School students participated in their own projects, ranging from writing letters to soldiers overseas to building care packages for the homeless. For a full list of the projects, click here.
OJP volunteers for NYSD from OJJDP (from left to right): Tom Murphy, Mark Morgan, Jay Mykytiuk, and Laura Ragan. © 2003 Dan/Danspix
More information about National Youth Service Day is available at www.ysa.org/nysd. To learn more about Youth Service America, visit www.ysa.org.
