30 National Organizations Convene for A New Era of Youth Service in America Summit

Posted by Youth Service America on May 12, 2026

Thirty national organizations convened for A New Era of Youth Service in America Summit at Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin. Sponsored by Youth Service America, The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, and The Hershey Company and co-hosted by the National Youth Leadership Council, Points of Light, and America’s Service Commissions, the Summit developed a National Youth Participation Strategy to double youth participation in volunteering & service, voting & civic engagement, youth voice & leadership, and joining & philanthropy over the next 10 years.

This Summit was the culmination of a year-long national listening tour that gathered input from over 3,000 people and organizations across the country to inform a national strategy to double youth participation in the United States over the next 10 years on the way to 100% youth participation. With a focus on addressing the four most common barriers to youth participation (lack of opportunities and expectation, lack of knowledge and skills, lack of equitable access and resources, and lack of hope and trust in the efficacy of democracy), Summit participants discussed activation, funding, training, and recognition program capacity-building strategies and policy priorities to address these barriers.

The New Era of Youth Service in America National Youth Participation Strategy will be announced at the Points of Light Conference in Washington, DC on June 22-24 and will launch around July 4 in celebration of America 250.

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