St. Louis Park, Minnesota | April 11, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Youth Leadership Council Deepens Commitment to Advancing K-12 Service-Learning through Strategic Research and Leadership Initiatives
The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) proudly announces a renewed and expanded commitment to advancing the field of K-12 service-learning nationwide. Through a multi-faceted strategy that includes research, professional development, and convening, NYLC continues to elevate youth voice and youth leadership as foundational pillars of education that drive civic engagement, equity, and community transformation.
A key component of this commitment is an ambitious research initiative focused on the impact of service-learning on renewing and reinvigorating democracy. In partnership with the University of Minnesota and researchers Matthew C. MacWilliams and Ross VeLure Roholt, with support from the Freudenberg Foundation, NYLC is launching a multi-year study examining how high-quality, student-driven service-learning experiences influence students’ civic attitudes, sense of agency, and democratic participation—both during and beyond their K-12 years.
“At a time when democratic norms are being tested and civic trust is in decline, we must invest in the next generation’s capacity to lead with empathy, engage with community, and take meaningful action,” said Amy Meuers, CEO of NYLC. “This research will help us better understand how service-learning supports the development of informed, empowered citizens, and how schools can be engines of democracy.”
As part of its broader effort to advance service-learning as a strategy for civic education, NYLC is also expanding its work in several key areas:
- The Certificate in Service-Learning Instructional Leadership, a professional development program for educators focused on embedding service-learning into core instruction in ways that foster civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
- Service-Learning Quality Standards Reimagined, a three-year research effort to examine the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice published in 2008. By affirming the evidence-based qualities of service-learning “when done well,” we can continue to ensure the best outcomes for youth and address the current realities in society and education.
- The Service-Learning Exchange, NYLC’s national platform for state agency staff, state commissions, network leaders, large district representatives, and other champions focused on the quality of K-12 service-learning practice across the U.S… Launched in April 2025, The Exchange provides a space to stay up to date on the latest developments in research and thought leadership, the scope and scale of practice, exchange information and ideas, and meet potential collaborators.
- K-12 Service-Learning Research Group, this collaborative of scholars and leaders is committed to building a stronger evidence base for K-12 service-learning that supports districts, states, and national partners to promote research and translate it into practice and policy
Since 1983, NYLC has been at the forefront of the national movement to position young people as powerful agents of change in education. Through innovative programs, educator training, strategic partnerships, and its flagship event—the National Service-Learning Conference—NYLC works to create the conditions for youth to lead, learn, and grow. At the same time, it supports adults and systems in building meaningful opportunities for young people to grow as civically informed and actively engaged citizens.
More information about NYLC’s initiatives, research, and educator resources can be found at www.nylc.org.
Miranda Taylor
Director of Communications and External Relations
[email protected]
www.nylc.org
