Photos courtesy of Crystal Jones.
YouthServe students participate in a variety of service activities in their communities.
YouthServe students participate in a variety of service activities in their communities.
On a Saturday morning, while many teens are still asleep, others are hard at work — sorting clothing donations, packaging diapers or cleaning debris from a local riverbank.
For students involved in the YouthServe program, service is not just an extracurricular activity. It’s a lens through which they view their local communities and the larger world.
Founded in 1998, the Birmingham-based nonprofit empowers young people throughout the metro area, including Vestavia Hills, to engage directly with their communities through service-learning projects, hands-on work and reflection.
Since its founding, more than 35,000 students have participated in YouthServe programs designed not only to encourage volunteerism but also to deepen understanding of the social issues affecting their neighbors and surrounding areas.
“YouthServe is unique because we do not design the projects for our students; they design and execute the projects on their own with support from us,” YouthServe Executive Director Crystal Jones said.
“That student-driven approach helps students understand the impact they can have right now,” Jones said.
Flagship YouthServe programs include the Youth Action Council, a leadership program where students meet monthly to plan service projects and build civic skills, and the Youth Philanthropy Council, which guides teens through the grantmaking process, allocating $20,000 annually to other local nonprofits.
Community service days provide volunteer opportunities for youth ages 12-18, including river cleanups with Cahaba Riverkeeper, diaper packaging with Bundles of Hope and donation organizing at the Full Circle thrift store. Participants only need a positive attitude, a desire to collaborate and a willingness to make a difference.
YouthServe also partners with schools through Service Education, a discussion-based curriculum that develops critical thinking, communication and leadership skills, and Changemaker Councils, student-led groups that meet bimonthly to identify community needs and implement projects.
For Hoover High student Harrison Morton, the experience has been transformative.
“YouthServe exposes me beyond the city I live in,” Morton said. “I learn about what is happening within and outside of the city of Birmingham and the hardships that people face, including those within my community.”
That exposure — both geographically and emotionally — is central to the organization’s mission. Service projects often tackle issues such as food insecurity, housing instability and educational inequity — concerns that feel abstract until students meet the people most affected. In Birmingham, a city with a rich history and complex social landscape, that awareness fosters informed, compassionate citizens who understand both the “what” and the “why” of community challenges.
Briana Morton, a member of the YouthServe board of directors, a lifelong educator and Harrison’s mother, reflected on the program’s impact: “I am in awe of these students. They truly are changing the world,” she said.
Jones said that while students in YouthServe come from all over the Birmingham area and have different backgrounds, “When we get them together, they often realize how similar they are.”
Participants are encouraged to identify their own strengths — whether in communication, organization, creativity or problem solving — and apply them in meaningful ways. The result is growth that extends far beyond resume lines or required service hours.
For many teens, adolescence is a time of self-discovery. YouthServe adds another dimension: discovering a responsibility to others.
“The students that we work with in YouthServe are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today,” Jones said.
Through YouthServe, service becomes more than an activity. The goal is for it to become a foundation, shaping young people who are aware, empathetic and ready to lead.
