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Home | Programs | CATALYST Youth Ambassadors | CATALYST Youth Ambassadors |
CATALYST Youth Ambassadors | “Service-learning is connecting curriculum-based knowledge with actions that benefit the community.” – CATALYSTs definition of service-learning
For the past ten years, Youth Service California (YSCal) has sponsored
statewide networks of high school leaders to promote youth service at
the local, regional, and state level. Funded by the California Department of Education's CalServe Initiative, the Shinnyo-en Foundation, and the State Farm Foundation, CATALYST (CAlifornia Taking
Action for Learning through Youth Service Teams) pulls together a select team of
high school youth from each of California's 12 service-learning
regions, provides service-learning and leadership training, and develops youth leadership in the promotion of youth service and
service-learning.
During their ambassadorship, CATALYST ambassadors serve as the youth voice for youth service and service-learning in the state of California—locally,
regionally, and statewide.
Locally, CATALYSTs may choose to demonstrate their knowledge of
youth service and service-learning by writing an article in a local newspaper; speaking
to cpeers, teachers, or community members; serving with a service
club or organization; taking part in a service day; or more directly,
planning and implementing their own service-learning project.
Regionally—and this is where CATALYST ambassadors begin to distinguish
themselves from other youth who do service—CATALYSTs collaborate
with their Regional Service-Learning Leads and fellow ambassadors to promote and support
regional conferences and events. This collaboration may include
facilitating a service-learning workshop, coordinating a
service-learning project, or speaking about a service-learning
experience.
The next, and most significant, level is statewide. Here, at the annual
California Service-Learning Leadership Institute, the National
Service-Learning Conference, and as the youth voice for the California
Department of Education’s CalServe Initiative, CATALYST ambassadors give full
meaning to youth voice by collaborating with peers, teachers,
administrators, and policy makers. They help plan and implement
high-quality service-learning and advocate for state policies that
include young people in all aspects of youth service and service-learning. They not only
demonstrate their knowledge of youth service and service-learning, but also the positive
effect on their growth and development as a person. |
| Links and Related Resources
California Department of Education’s CalServe Initiative
Shinnyo-en Foundation
California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network
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