Join us and you will be immersed in a showcase of our YCS youth’s accomplishments from the past year! From initiatives like Trash2Art’s cleanups and captivating art displays to insightful reflections of our President’s Volunteer Service Award recipients on their service.
(650) 858-8019 | ycs@youthcommunityservice.org
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, as well as a personalized letter of recommendation emphasizing the importance of this award to the community from the Program Manager.
*There is a max of $495 dollars that an individual may receive from awards and scholarships [link to scholarships on the programs landing page.] in a 12-month time-frame. Scholarship funds and Award winnings will be adjusted to accommodate this max.*
April 26th, 2024 Deadline to submit a letter of interest
May 31st, 2024 Notification of Award Recipients
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. 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 YCS Executive Director.
*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.*
Youth Community Leadership Awards:
April 26th, 2024 Deadline to submit a letter of interest
May 31st, 2024 Notification of Award Recipients
Adult Community Leadership Awards:
Rolling Notifications
The PVSA is a National Award program that 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.
We’re hiring! Learn more about our open positions.
780 Arastradero Rd., Room V-14
PO BOX 61000
Palo Alto, CA 94306
IRS EIN 20-8099150
(650) 858-8019
ycs@youthcommunityservice.org