Grantee Spotlight
Youth Community Service
Building Community While Serving Community
On the surface, nonprofit Youth Community Service’s (YCS) work may seem simple as an organization engaging youth in a range of public service projects throughout the Mid-Peninsula. But the program is more than just an avenue for youth to fulfill community service hours; rooted in research, their service-learning model has been honed over 30 years, and it’s helping youth find themselves while helping others.
A core offering of YCS is its Youth Connect Peer Leadership program. Through this program, YCS supports high school students in exploring and designing a service project that is important to them, providing guidance, mentorship, and resources to set them up for success. In alignment with national service learning standards, the program consists of three phases: investigation, planning, and preparation; followed by implementation of their service project; and culminating in reflection and a demonstration articulating the program’s impact.
Past projects have championed public health initiatives or environmental sustainability practices, created a mindfulness story hour for children at the local library, or explored topics like youth burnout—this project’s resulting workshop, a youth favorite, is being passed down to new YCS cohorts after its initial development, a testament to the long term impact these service learning projects can have for youth. YCS creates a safe environment where students are empowered to pursue social justice causes that inspire them, and, as a result, these students are developing strong communication skills, greater empathy, a positive sense of self, and an understanding of reciprocal collaboration.
“We commit to helping and supporting our youth in elevating their voice through supportive relationships, creating agency, inclusion, and safety to embrace possibility,” says Mora Oommen, Executive Director of YCS. “This essentially means we want them to feel comfortable and safe, to be able to take risks, to be able to address and think boldly about how we might be able to make a change in our community.”
Whether it’s guiding high school students on their advocacy journey, working with middle school students through on-campus programming, or providing a fast-tracked version of their service learning model during the summer of service, YCS is supporting the next generation of leaders in finding their voice.
“We encourage them to explore ways for awareness building so many of them will speak up at city council meetings or speak at their schools or for other youth organizations. We want to make sure that they're taking what they are learning and sharing it with others.”
Students finish the program with an affinity for helping others, with many sticking with the program through their high school tenure, some even circling back into adulthood—checking in to get plugged in over summer breaks from college and beyond—eager to stay involved and to show up for others.
The Power of Belonging and Purpose for Youth Mental Health
A key tenet of YCS’s service learning is making sure youth feel and understand their value. In reading YCS youth reflections, the sense of belonging, camaraderie, and community gained through their participation is universal.
“We try to create a space for everybody to come and thrive. Youth mental health is really at the core of our approach,” Mora explains. “As a youth organization, when students are dying by suicide, it hits us hard, and so it's so important for programs like ours, that are recognized as tier one, universal support and prevention strategies, to be able to reach students.”
As part of their commitment to youth mental health, they ensure staff receive training and support and provide learning opportunities locally.
“We offer workshops through the county on concepts around youth mental health. These workshops are an important part of prevention and protective factors to help increase self-esteem, develop healthy attitudes, and improve their knowledge of essential life skills – all of which promote healthy and positive personal youth development and mental health.”
See the Magic of YCS for Yourself
On Sunday, April 19, YCS will host its annual Community Impact Exhibit at the Mitchell Park Community Center, where students will showcase their year’s service learning projects and celebrate. Learn more.
Host a Workshop: You can provide valuable training for your team by hosting a YCS Support Youth: A Call to Action Workshop, a research-based learning opportunity developed with youth input that aims to foster positive relationships between youth and adults. Learn more.
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It is through the generosity of our donors that we are able to support the vital work of grantee organizations like YCS. Thank you for being a part of PACF’s impact.
“We're really grateful for the 35 years that we've been able to serve the local community,” Mora said in closing. “The Palo Alto Community Fund has been a funder for many years, and it really means a lot, because we know that it's made possible by local people giving their funds to PACF to then redistribute. We're grateful to be amongst the recipients of that money, and we love that local people can come back and see our work in action as well.”
