Community-wide
Events

The Goal of the YCS National Days of Service: To connect the greater mid-Peninsula community with multiple service opportunities planned to honor, celebrate, and participate in making a positive impact in their local community on Nationally-recognized Days of Service.

Upcoming Events

See all of our upcoming service events on our Do Service Platform

Annual Events

YCS hosts two large-scale events annually, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. These National Days of Service were established under federal law and Presidential Proclamation, and inspire thousands of individuals and organizations across the country to make volunteering part of their lives. 

During a typical YCS Day of Service, community members of all ages select from multiple opportunities to serve communally. These events also serve as a time to learn from one another and to celebrate our community. YCS works with many of our local partners to organize projects throughout the mid-Peninsula, accommodating a wide range of ages and interests.

The purpose of a Day of Service is to bring the community together through shared service, celebration, and remembrance. Martin Luther King,Jr. Day inspires participants to improve their community while honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 9/11 National Day of Service offers participants an opportunity to honor the victims and families of September 11 by serving with unity and compassion.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

For more than 10 years YCS has worked with community partners like the City of Palo Alto and the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through service and community. 

9/11 National Day of Service

Each year hundreds of volunteers come together for the Sept 11 National Day of Service and make a difference in our community! Youth Community Service (YCS) convenes local partners and community members around the Mid-Peninsula area for service around the community. 

See the video from the 2022 9/11 National Day of Service:

For more information about the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, please visit the official website: https://americorps.gov/911-day

For more information about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, please visit the official website: https://americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day

For more information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., please visit The King Center website: https://thekingcenter.org/

Past Events

  • YCS Community Impact Exhibit

    Sunday, April 21st 3pm-5pm
    Mitchell Park Community Center

    Learn more

  • YCS Art Expo and Service Celebration

    Friday, May 5, 5:00-9:00
    PMEPA Center, 1950 Bayshore Road, East Palo Alto 
    Free, open to all

    YCS youth leaders are hosting an Art Show that celebrates our positive cultural identities. All are welcomed to see live performances and other visual arts created by local youth. At this event we will also be celebrating the accomplishments of YCS youth this school year at our Celebration of Service at 7:30 PM. Open to the public.

    Poster in English, Poster in Spanish

    Learn more

  • Pause & Connect

    Saturday, May 6, 2:00-4:00 PM
    Palo Alto High School Haymarket Theater, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto.

    Join us for a film screening of “Try Harder” an award winning documentary about the college application process at Lowell High School in San Francisco. Hear from youth leaders about ways we can support students with evidence-based strategies to help them through their academics and propel them in life.  This event is co-sponsored by Youth Community Services (YCS), Palo Alto Council of PTAs (PTAC), allcove, and the City of Palo Alto. RSVP Try Harder Film.

     For more information contact: ycs@youthcommunityservice.org

    Poster 

    Learn more

  • Spring Authors Celebration: Creative Hustle

    Wednesday, April 26th, 7:00pm – 8:15pm
    Virtual on Zoom

    Thank you for joining us for an exciting, reflective, and interactive Creative Hustle experience with our special guests Olatunde Sobomehin and Sam Seidel, who developed the Creative Hustle program at Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design)! Join us for an inspiring intergenerational experience – for all attendees to get in touch with their unique creative gifts – and to support our youth, together, to make a difference in the world through acts that matter.

    Learn more