“Youth Helping America—Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering” is available from the Corporation for National & Community Service.
About 55 percent of American teenagers volunteered last year, many as part of a school activity, according to a survey from the Corporation for National and Community Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and Independent Sector, a Washington-based coalition of charitable groups.
The 55 percent volunteerism rate, which translates to about 15.5 million teenagers volunteering in 2004, compares with a 29 percent rate among adults that year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey indicates that about 10.6 million youths engaged in community service as a part of a school activity. Only about 5 percent of teenagers said the activities were mandatory.
