Projects
Below are some examples of community service projects planned and implemented by graduates of The Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute.

Cleaning the Environment

• Participants built a nature trail in the Lagoona area of San Diego CA.
• Participants worked with the Department of Transportation and 110 volunteers to clean up and plant wildflowers along 8 miles of I-215.
• Trees, soil and sod were donated to help clean-up and landscape the Cabrini Green area. In addition, the students worked with the Park District to help adjust their programming fees to make them more affordable for low income families.

Educating Others

• Students from the Los Angeles area planned and held a mini-conference, "TOPP-Teens on Pregnancy and Parenting," at a high school for teen mothers. They did a half-day of workshops on teen pregnancy issues, including parenting games, teen fatherhood and birth control, and provided day care for the teen mothers who participated.
• Students held a day of self-esteem building activities for teens in New York City.

Helping Youth

• The group potted flowers for 50 senior residents of Oak Hill Residential Care Center and planted flowers along the center's pathway. Materials were donated by Home Depot and Orange Glen High School.
• Students planned a day of fun and interactive activities for the residents of a housing residence for low income senior citizens.
• The group raised funds for Head Start by offering face painting, games and selling paintings created by Head Start children at a local fair. They also convinced a local restaurant to give a percentage of one day's sales to Head Start.
• The students took children ages 3-13 from Building Blocks, a local family center for disadvantaged children, to an interactive Children's Museum and hosted a picnic.
• Participants recruited volunteers and helped set-up for a summer camp at the Monroe Myer Institute, an institution for children with severe handicaps.

Using the Arts

• Students painted a mural at a local park to show their support for local Native American artists.
• The group performed skits on the issues of youth and violence at a local middle school. With the aid of a drama consultant, the production was polished and revised, and was performed during the graduation ceremony. The students also received a grant to conduct performances throughout the school year to all the middle schools in the area.
• The service project was designed to help the homeless. The students went out into their community and interviewed homeless people from three different shelters. They created a publication from the interviews which was distributed to the community.
• Students raised $42,000 to build a "youth built "house with Habitat for Humanity. The students worked with several youth groups to raise the money and build the house.

  For more youth volunteer project ideas, visit the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards site