Supporting the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1240) supporting the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1240 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1240, a resolution to support the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day. Global Youth Service Day is an annual worldwide event that highlights and celebrates the ongoing contributions of youth to their communities through volunteer service and service learning.

Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and over the past 21 years it has brought together more than 40 million people in thousands of communities worldwide. This past weekend it was observed for the 22nd consecutive year in the United States, and for its 11th year globally, in more than 100 countries.

Mr. Speaker, service learning extends the classroom into the community, providing young people with the opportunity to give back locally. It is also an academic tool that builds real-life applications into student curriculum, keeping students engaged in their education. High quality service learning that is integrated with academic curriculum increases students' cognitive engagement, motivation to learn, school attendance, and academic achievement. Global Youth Service Day takes that one step further by promoting projects that encourage youth to work collaboratively across national borders to address global issues, to increase intercultural understanding, and to promote the sense that we are all global citizens.

There are countless benefits associated with volunteerism and service. Evidence shows that there exists a conclusive correlation between youth service, character development, lifelong adult volunteering, philanthropy, and other forms of civic engagement.

Opportunities like Global Youth Service Day provide avenues for youth to apply their knowledge, idealism, energy, creativity, and unique perspectives to improve local communities by addressing critical issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, education, natural disasters, climate change, and so very much more, Mr. Speaker.

As part of Global Youth Service Day here in the District of Columbia, Greater D.C. Cares organized 7,000 volunteers as part of its annual Servathon to restore national monuments, landscape parks and playgrounds, prepare and distribute food, and paint murals on schools in 100 locations within the metro area.

In Detroit, Michigan, more than 125 students from an inner city Detroit school educated their classmates and families about having a healthy diet and nutrition and incorporating exercise in their daily lives. In Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Speaker, the local YMCA coordinated with over 100 community partners and 1,000 young people in feeding the homeless, in yard work for the elderly, community gardening with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, among many other things.

Both young people and their communities will benefit greatly from expanded opportunities like these which allow youth to engage in volunteer community service and service learning worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution serves to recognize and commend the significant contributions of youth of the United States and to support the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day 2010.

I thank Representative Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the author of H. Res. 1240.

Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to compliment Congresswoman DeLauro and Congressman Ehlers for their amazing efforts in this regard, and I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1240, a resolution to support the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

I rise in support of this resolution honoring and supporting the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day, which took place this past weekend. I want to commend my colleague, Representative Ehlers, for taking the lead in cosponsoring this important resolution.

Global Youth Service Day is a public awareness and education campaign led by Youth Service America with the National Youth Leadership Council and the Global Youth Action Network. It emphasizes the importance of public service. It highlights the valuable contributions that young people make to their communities all year long.

In the words of Gandhi, ``The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.'' That is the simple truth that animates Global Youth Service Day. By mobilizing young people around the world to identify and address the needs of their neighbors, by supporting their community service, and by civic engagement efforts, we not only help our communities to thrive, we help the next generation find themselves through service and commitment to a greater good.

This past weekend, young people all around the world designed and carried out community service projects in areas ranging from literacy and mentoring, to the environment and energy conservation, to hunger and homelessness. This year saw 2,631 projects in 87 countries and all 50 States.

We often say that service is its own reward, but it actually has the benefit of being true. In addition to the positive results these projects have on our communities, research shows that young people who participate in community service also enjoy increased civic engagement and they do better in school. By recognizing the interdependence of their community, they become more independent, more grounded, more cognizant of the world around them. They become better citizens.

The cycle of service and citizenship is why we passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act 1 year ago last week, to offer young people more opportunities to serve their nation. It is why we continue to encourage our young men and women to become deeply involved in the life, health, and education of our communities through such programs as AmeriCorps, Teach for America, and Summer of Service. It

is why we honor the passion and the sacrifice of those young Americans who choose to make a difference in distant lands, such as members of the Peace Corps and our Armed Forces.

All of us in this room today know firsthand the value of public service. Global Youth Service Day helps to transmit that priceless value to the next generation. All around the world it encourages boys and girls to get involved, to give of themselves, to use their enthusiasm, their energy, and their passion to help our communities.

I urge my colleagues to honor these values of civic and community service, and to support this resolution.

I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding.

I am a great believer in volunteer efforts, and I believe that is what makes our Nation tick. And I think it is especially appropriate to educate children and young adults at a very early age to become involved in volunteer work.

Global Youth Service Day is a major means of implementing that, and bringing to children the awareness of and importance of volunteer work, and also developing ways to make volunteer work seem interesting and fun to the youth of our Nation.

I do have to warn them, however, as I have learned myself, volunteer service can lead to the halls of Congress. I would have never been elected to office, never even would have become politically active without my volunteer activities. But I soon learned when engaging in volunteer activities and helping people that much of the problems I was trying to solve should have been solved by the local elected officials. And with some friends we got together and got some very good people elected. Never did I suspect that I might myself someday be called upon to do the same thing and follow a path that led to Congress.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is a wonderful device to give recognition to the youth of this Nation, gives an opportunity for us to recognize the service that they have rendered, and also calls on the President of the United States to encourage people of the United States to observe this day and make it clear to young people what marvelous opportunities for volunteerism they have.

There are many different ways in which the youth can contribute to the functioning of the Nation, but two that come to mind as being especially useful are, one, helping the elderly who often have trouble adjusting to new homes or who simply don't know how to handle the electronics of the new abodes that they've moved into. Another method is working with the young people of this Nation, with the very young people--the children who are having trouble with how to read or who are having trouble learning math. This is a wonderful opportunity for younger people who have more experience with science and mathematics and who are able to communicate their love of science and mathematics to help the young people around them.

So it is with pleasure that I rise. It is with great pleasure that I am a cosponsor of this resolution. I think it is an extremely important issue.

I thank Ms. DeLauro and Ms. Woolsey for their working on this as well.

This is a golden opportunity for all of us to express our gratitude to the young people of this world who continue to act as volunteers in so many different ways and in meaningful ways which will direct their careers as well as will help the Nation.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1240, supporting the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day. Global Youth Service Day supports and encourages community service and service learning throughout these United States, and enables millions of students to make contributions to their communities. America's young people, from kindergartners to college students, have the desire, energy, and ability to make a real difference in their communities. Global Youth Service Day is an opportunity for them to convert their ideas and energy into action.

Through community service and service learning, we can inspire, empower, and celebrate young people who recognize the need to do something for their communities, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. Service learning engages students in the educational process, using what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems. Service learning and community service enables students to not only learn about democracy and citizenship, but to become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service that they perform.

There are a growing number of opportunities for youth to get involved in service activities through schools, service clubs, religious affiliations, family, or neighborhood-based volunteering. The challenge is to maintain youth interest and commitment to community service by showing them the benefits to the community that they are serving and to themselves. I stand before you today to commend the significant contributions our youth are making in our Nation's communities.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the lead coauthor of this legislation, our respected colleague from the State of Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.