Maine youth commit to semester of service

AUGUSTA — Nine Maine youth groups applied for assistance to carry out community of service projects set to begin on the Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service (Monday, Jan. 15) and end on National Youth Service Day (Sunday, April 21).

The grants from Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, range from $500 to $1,500 with most grants on the higher end.

The Semester of Service program supports youth-led community service projects. “Youth-led” means that individuals 17 or younger take the lead in all aspects of the initiative (research, issue selection, action to take, project design, implementation). Adult advisors are resources and process facilitators, according to a news release from Volunteer Maine Executive Director, Maryalice Crofton.

“Youth-leadership is critical because it develops young people’s knowledge, skills and confidence to take meaningful action and instigate positive changes in their communities,” said Crofton.

Each Semester of Service group will begin its work by exploring issues in the community and then selecting one to be the target of their service projects.

Award recipients

• Penobscot County Youth Caucus, sponsored by Mobilize Recovery with advisor Krystal Woods;
• Planting Peace-Cultivating Unity, sponsored by SPACE on the RIVER (Skowhegan) with advisor Kimberly Leo;
• UCC Youth Group, sponsored by First Church in Belfast, UCC with advisor Elizabeth Haynes;
• Kennebec County Youth Caucus, sponsored by Mobilize Recovery with advisor Deidrah Stanchfield;
• Feminist Action Board, sponsored by Hardy Girls Healthy Women (Waterville) with advisor Adrienne Cormack;
• Kennebec County Youth Advisory Board, sponsored by Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (Gardiner) with advisor April Hughes;
• Washington County Youth Caucus, sponsored by Mobilize Recovery with advisor Joe Finnemore;
• CLC YMCA Teen Leaders, sponsored by Central Lincoln County YMCA (Damariscotta) with advisor Abi Iverson; and
• Brunswick High School Outdoor Club, sponsored by Teens to Trails with advisor Alicia Heyburn.

Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, promotes meaningful youth-led service as one path to a civic identity and sense of belonging as well as common purpose in the community. It recognizes that service is a lifelong habit that can be most easily acquired early in life.

For more information, visit volunteermaine.gov.