Federal Resources

As part of the Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative, AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) has compiled a list of things people can do to help children maintain active minds and bodies during the summer months.

Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups.

AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service) brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges, through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps is the only federal agency tasked with elevating service and volunteerism in America. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to give their time and talent to strengthen communities across the country. By bringing people together to serve communities, AmeriCorps is making service to others an indispensable part of the American experience. AmeriCorps offers individuals and organizations flexible ways to make a local impact through several key programs: State and National, VISTA, NCCC, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, RSVP, and Volunteer Generation Fund, along with initiatives including 9/11 and MLK Day of Service.

Provides information on National Mentoring Month which has occurred annually in January since 2002. Additional resources about mentoring and National Mentoring Month are available.

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) supports the service-learning community in higher education, kindergarten through grade twelve, community-based organizations, tribal programs, and all others interested in strengthening schools and communities using service-learning.

Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS). PIT volunteers work with professional FS archaeologists and historians on national forests throughout the U.S. on such diverse activities as archaeological survey and excavation, rock art restoration, survey, archival research, historic structure restoration, oral history gathering, and analysis and curation of artifacts. FS professional staff of archaeologists and historians serve as hosts, guides, and co-workers.

To address the challenges faced by students living in communities of concentrated poverty, Promise Neighborhoods grantees and their partner organizations will plan to provide services from early learning to college and career, including programs to improve the health, safety, and stability of neighborhoods, and boost family engagement in student learning.

Serve.gov is an online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own.

This guide (PDF, 4 pages) advises service providers and others how to engage successfully with youth, using specific examples to illustrate effective (and ineffective) communication. 

This resource includes information and tools that can help federal staff and contractors appropriately engage youth before, during, and after government-sponsored events and meetings.

This resource guides administrators and prevention professionals on how to appropriately engage youth in government-sponsored events and meetings. Includes resources regarding a youth services approach, youth development, youth leadership, civic engagement, and youth organizing.