…In a recent survey of service-learning students from the America’s Promise Voices Study, 94 percent of 8 to 21-year-olds agree that “I would like to make the world a better place,” and 84 percent agree with the statement “I can make a difference in the world.” More than two-thirds believe that “sometimes people my age have a better understanding of how to fix the world’s problems than grown-ups do.” This research shows that young people want opportunities to be engaged in their communities. Eighty-three percent of students surveyed by Civic Enterprises said if their school offered service-learning classes, they would enroll in them. Sadly, of those same students, only 16 percent said that their schools offered these classes, and that number dropped to 8 percent at low-performing high schools. Moreover, 64 percent agreed that service-learning would have a fairly big effect on preventing them from dropping out of school. Our young people are asking for opportunities to make a difference, not only in the lives of others, but also in their own. They are seeking ways to take responsibility, to build a better future, to experience feelings of accomplishment and self-worth. We must answer their call.