Inspired to Serve: Youth-Led Interfaith Action is a three-year pilot project to enhance the capacity of America’s 350,000 churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other faith-based organizations to engage young people in effective service-learning that increases interfaith cooperation, contributes to healthy development, and enriches community life.

The approach combines Interfaith Youth Core’s innovative model of interfaith dialogue and service-learning with Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets and its asset-based approach to community and social change.

This project is made possible with major support from Learn and Serve America’s community-based grants program.

 

Approach: Four Critical Shifts

The project focuses on building the will and capacity of faith-based organizations to strengthen their programs and impact in the following areas:

Toward More Effective Service-Learning

Apply the principles and practices of effective service-learning—including youth-led planning, meeting real community needs, and active reflection—into their service projects and activities.
Download a fact sheet on effective service-learning (PDF file).

Toward Greater Interfaith Engagement

Build cooperation and dialogue across America’s diverse faith communities around their shared commitment to service and community building, thus creating a stronger sense of mutual trust, respect, and understanding.
Download a fact sheet on interfaith engagement (PDF file).

Toward Asset-Building Approaches with Youth

Integrate into their service-learning and other program areas a commitment to holistic youth development, building on the principles and practices of Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets.
Download a fact sheet on asset-building approaches (PDF file).

Toward City-Wide Movements

Partner with emerging interfaith networks in pilot cities to develop models, approaches, and momentum to foster citywide movements of faith-based organizations that are engaged in interfaith service-learning.
Download a fact sheet on citywide movements (PDF file).

 

Pilot Cities

Chicago

Building on five years of pioneering interfaith youth service programming, this network now seeks to make interfaith service core to faith-based youth development efforts throughout the city. This network is convened by Interfaith Youth Core.

New Orleans

A partnership with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, the Jewish Federation, the Muslim Association, the Episcopal Diocese, and others to engage young people in post-Katrina recovery and renewal. This network is convened by Interfaith Works.

Philadelphia

Three interfaith networks in different parts of the city will engage young people in in-depth service-learning and leadership experiences throughout the year. These networks are convened by the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia.

Saint Paul

Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other youth will come together for an annual Interfaith Teen Day of Service and an ongoing Interfaith Youth Council. This network is convened by the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches.

 

The National Partners

Search Institute

Search Institute is a leading innovator in discovering what children and adolescents need to become caring, healthy, and responsible adults. Drawing on extensive research, Search Institute brings solutions to pressing challenges in the lives of young people and their communities. This project is part of Search Institute’s new Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence.

Interfaith Youth Core

Interfaith Youth Core is building a world in which youth from diverse religious backgrounds come together to act on the inspiration of service in their own tradition, deepen mutual understanding, and cooperate to serve the common good. The Interfaith Youth Core’s core competency lies in developing effective and innovative interfaith youth service-learning models that are implemented in communities around the globe.

Learn and Serve America

This pilot project is made possible through a grant from Learn and Serve America. Learn and Serve America provides grants to schools, colleges, and nonprofit groups to support efforts to engage 1.5 million students each year in community service linked to educational goals. Learn and Serve America is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and AmeriCorps.

 

Major Project Activities

Each pilot city is designing its own specific activities and approaches, based on the capacities, priorities, and readiness within that city. The following types of activities will be implemented across all cities:

Identifying Community Resources and Hopes

Teams of young people and adults will engage in an intentional community listening process to learn about their neighborhood or city’s resources, hopes, and opportunities as a foundation for future service-learning activities.

Interfaith Youth Service-Learning Projects

Local networks will organize a series of interfaith service-learning projects that model and teach the principles and practices of effective service-learning while also increasing interfaith understanding and providing a positive youth activity.

Tools and Training

Training, coaching, and other practical tools will increase the capacity of local partners and faith-based organizations to integrate service-learning, interfaith cooperation, and asset building into the programs, practices, and cultures.

Local Network Expansion

Through networking, mini-grants, publicity, and other methods, each city will expand the number and diversity of faith-based organizations engaged in interfaith service-learning. Through the pilot project, we seek to engage 3,000 young people in service-learning.

Research and Evaluation

Ongoing evaluation will track project activities and the impact on young people, participating faith-based organizations, and the broader community. Research will examine the relationship between service-learning practices and youth outcomes within a faith-based context.

 

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

The Learn and Serve America National Service-Learning Clearinghouse supports the service-learning community by providing timely and relevant information on service-learning principles, practices, techniques, and methodologies. It gathers and catalogues research, evaluation, and best-practice information from across the United States. Staff are available to assist in locating materials, referrals, reference information, and technical assistance.

Research, tools, and resources developed as part of the Inspired to Serve project will be available through the clearinghouse.

 

This website is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under Learn and Serve America Grant No. 06KCHMN001. Opinions or points of view expressed in this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Corporation or the Learn and Serve America Program.