YCS
Service Awards

YCS Peer Leadership Award

  • The YCS Peer Leadership Award honors Peer Leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to the Peer Leadership Program and making a meaningful difference in their community. Award recipients have demonstrated excellent leadership skills and service by directing and supporting Peer Leadership service projects while representing YCS and the Peer Leadership program positively. 

    As a Program, Peer Leadership offers students the opportunity to design and lead service projects that center around three pillars of YCS: Service Learning, Social Emotional Learning, and Leadership Development. The youth who are awarded the YCS Peer Leadership Award have gone above and beyond to embody these pillars and build meaningful community connections through their work.

    Limited amounts of YCS Peer Leadership Awards will be given each year. Award recipients may receive up to a $350 prize with their award, and can request a letter of recommendation from the Program Coordinator. 

    *There is a max of $495 dollars that an individual may receive from awards and scholarships in a 12-month time-frame. Scholarship funds and Award winnings will be adjusted to accommodate this max.

    • Participated in Peer Leadership for at least 4 months during the school year

    • Completed a minimum of 50 service hours with any YCS-sponsored programming (Peer Leadership, Together, NDS, etc.). 

    • Demonstrated leadership in Peer Leadership via their role and actions throughout a service project. 

    • Led conversations with the community about leadership, service, or a social justice topic. 

    • Submit a letter of interest (max 3 pages) to your primary YCS contact detailing their participation in Peer Leadership and the impact Peer Leadership has had on them. 

    April 30th, Deadline to submit a letter of interest 

    May 31st, Notification of Award Recipients 

YCS Community Leadership Award

  • The YCS Community Leadership Award honors those who have positively represented YCS while serving their communities. Award recipients have volunteered at YCS service projects and programs within 12 months. YCS is grateful for the time and energy that award recipients have given to both YCS and the communities that YCS serves and recognizes the impact and importance of these community leaders. 

    Limited amounts of YCS Community Leadership Awards will be given each year. Youth award recipients may receive up to a $175 prize with their award, as well as a personalized letter of recommendation emphasizing the importance of this award to the community from the Program Coordinator.

    *There is a max of $495 dollars that an individual may receive from awards and scholarships in a 12-month time frame. Scholarship funds and Award winnings will be adjusted to accommodate this max.*

    • Completed a minimum of 15 service hours with YCS. 

    • Served at least three YCS service projects, programs, or community events within 12 months. 

    • All ages are eligible. 

    • Embodied YCS mission

    • Youth Award nominees may submit a letter of interest to their primary YCS contact (maximum of 3 pages) detailing their work with YCS and the impact it has had on them. 

    • Adult Award recipients require a nomination from a YCS Staff Member. 

    Youth Community Leadership Awards:

    April 30th Deadline to submit a letter of interest 

    May 31st Notification of Award Recipients 

    Adult Community Leadership Awards:

    Rolling Notifications Recipients will be recognized at our Community Impact Exhibit

President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)

  • The PVSA is a National Award program honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities and inspires those around them to take action.

    Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers. YCS is a Certifying Organization for the PVSA. 

    Group awards can be earned by families, companies, or other affiliated groups. The group must consist of two or more volunteer members.

    Most generally, service means helping others. For more detail on some of the gray areas of what counts as service, check out the Community Service Guidelines we follow, which were created by Palo Alto High School and also adapted for Gunn High School. 

    For individuals, the award level earned is based on your age while completing your service hours.

    For groups, each member of the group must contribute a minimum of 25 hours towards the total number of hours. The award level earned is based on the age of the oldest volunteer in the group.

    We can process applications for anyone living in or attending school in Santa Clara or San Mateo County. Fill out the PVSA Application Form. We will review your application and contact you. If you are a Gunn High School student, please email us first at: service.award@youthcommunityservice.org. We might be able to use service hours you have already submitted through the Transcript Recognition form to approve your service hours.

    If you are applying for a group, please contact us first at:  service.award@youthcommunityservice.org and we will assist you with your application.

    Please help us continue to offer the certification of the PVSA by making a donation to cover shipping costs and processing fees from Points of Light. A donation of $20 for each award helps us to be able to continue to offer this service to the community. You can make a donation by clicking here.

    What is the deadline to apply for the PVSA? 
    We accept applications year round!   Please allow two months for processing. Here are the notification dates:

    Apply by Jun 15 for notification by Aug 15
    Apply by Aug 15 for notification by Oct 15
    Apply by Oct 15 for notification by Dec 15
    Apply by Dec 15 for notification by Feb 15
    Apply by Feb 15 for notification by Apr 15
    Apply by Apr 15 for notification by Jun 15
    We prioritize PVSA applications for Graduating Seniors in
    Aug-Oct. Others might be delayed by 3-4 weeks during
    this time.

    Can anyone apply for a PVSA?
    We can process a PVSA application for anyone living in or attending school in Santa Clara or San Mateo County. If you are outside of our geographic area, you must find a certifying organization in your local area.

    How is the one-year time frame calculated?
    It starts on the date you specify, for example Jun 1, 2022, which would end the year on May 31, 2023.

    My birthday occurs during the service time, how does this affect my award?
    Your award level is based on your age for 7 months of the 12-month time frame. 

    How can I contact you?
    Email is best: 
    service.award@youthcommunityservice.org 
    Leave a message at:  (650) 858-8021