Local Service

Charity Begins at Home

I can't even express how grateful I am for this opportunity. I feel everyone involved is better because of this experience and as a result, we are each individually empowered to make our homes, neighborhoods, states, countries and ultimately the world a better place.
--Melanie Goates, 2002 participant

Each year, YouthLINC students contribute nearly 8,000 hours of service in their own communities, becoming relied upon volunteers for those in need all over Utah. Each student must contribute between 60-100 hours of local service in order to earn their sponsorship for their international service experience.

While many programs exist that offer just an international service experience, the YouthLINC experience is unique in its strategy to provide an intense school year program linking local and international service. Our participants see how much they can provide right here at home on an on-going basis, for the truth is that few people can afford to travel throughout their lifetime to serve. It is our goal that the commitment to volunteer started through the intense year-long YouthLINC program will foster a service ethic that will last a lifetime!

YouthLINC programs have made a huge impact on the volunteer work force in Utah -- from Logan to St. George, Tooele to Vernal. In 2006, we began a pilot program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2007, several satellite programs begin all over the U.S.

From the inception of the program in 1999 through 2008, YouthLINC students will have contributed almost 60,000 hours of service throughout Utah.

At the Boys and Girls Club, I worked with a lot of kids who got very little attention at home, or none at all. Despite that, they mostly had good attitudes, and that wore off on me. I also learned patience and how to play 6-base kick ball.
--Sean McCandless, 2004 participant

Local service requirements, Criteria for selection of local service sites

Student participants select their own local service site, through consultation with our Local Service Coordinator. We want students to become involved in activities that make an impact in the lives of needy people or communities, activities where they are interacting and making relationships with people they wouldn't normally encounter. We encourage students to perform hands-on service where they are mentored in a positive atmosphere by their supervisors.

Though we are not affiliated with any particular service agencies or organizations, our students participants have volunteered at hundreds of sites all over the state. Starting in 2007, YouthLINC will partner with the Utah Office of Education to publish a Local Service Directory of sites where our student participants have served, and have reviewed positively.

For my local service, I volunteered at Kids On The Move, a place to help children with disabilities. Having a consistent place to volunteer was beneficial because I was able to watch the kids grow and develop and create friendships. Despite how busy life is, giving my time for those children was worth every moment.
--Erica Martineau, 2005 Peru participant

All student participants are required to do a number of local service hours in order to earn their service sponsorships. Sixty (60) hours of local service is required for the Mexico program. Eighty (80) hours of local service is required for the Peru and Thailand programs. One hundred (100) hours of local service is required for the Kenya programs. Sponsorships of $600 (for Mexico), $800 (for Peru and Thailand) and $1000 (for Kenya) help to offset the costs of the international service experience.

Students must complete their local service hours during the school year in which they are accepted into the program and students may begin to record local service hours which count toward the program upon the receipt of their acceptance letter. All YouthLINC students must apply and be accepted to volunteer at any site. They must undergo any appropriate training as specified by the local service site.

For our complete Local Service policies, please read our Student Application, Waiver and Code, and Policy Document.

Whole Group Service Projects

Each month during each service year, the program will organize a "whole group" service project. For example, the participants from one or all programs will be invited to spend a Saturday painting a substance abuse treatment center for young mothers, or running a literacy program at a Boys and Girls Club, or cleaning a senior citizen center. These service opportunities allow YouthLINC participants to accomplish large purposes by concentrating the efforts of many in a short period of time. These opportunities also build the team spirit that is an essential part of any YouthLINC program.

For my local service, I volunteered with the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides care for homeless families at various churches. I never really thought of homelessness associated with families--specifically children, until my local volunteer work. I always assumed homeless people were individuals with addictions or they didn't want to get a job. That's just not the case though. Now I know most of them have suffered hardships that have made them homeless that I couldn't even begin to know how to cope with.
--Brandee Butler, 2000 participant