Mission and History of Youth Community Service   

By developing service and leadership opportunities for young people and service learning support for teachers, YCS promotes the ethic of service, fosters youth leadership, builds community, and enhances education in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in the Bay Area.

YCS was founded in 1990 as a unique partnership between the cities between East Palo Alto and Palo Alto and their two school districts - Ravenswood City School District and Palo Alto Unified School District - with the goal of increasing cross-community awareness and collaboration through youth service. Since our founding, YCS has engaged more than 15,000 young people in service opportunities that allow them to learn more about themselves and their community, providing over 100,000 hours of service to more than 40 local community organizations.