Group Seeks To Pave Way for New Social Entrepreneurs

By Meg Sommerfeld

Soon after Roger Landrum finished a stint in the Peace Corps in Nigeria in 1964, he decided to launch Teachers Inc., a teacher corps that operated in six East Coast cities for about seven years.

Getting started was not easy, whether he was selecting board members or helping corps members cope with the limited resources and sometimes chaotic nature of inner-city schools.

But now, as the president of Youth Service America, Mr. Landrum is trying to make that process easier for a new generation of social entrepreneurs. The Washington-based group advocates youth service at the national,...