Youth Volunteering on the Rise

BOSTON, Ma, September 8, 2009 — An astonishing 73% of 12-17 year olds in the U.S., or 18.8 million youth, have engaged in a volunteer activity according to a recent study commissioned by The Volunteer Family and conducted by Harris Interactive®.

These numbers are especially impressive when compared to a 1996 study conducted by the Independent Sector[1], which established that 59% of 12-17 year olds had volunteered in the last year. This information also follows the recent Corporation for National Service study, which confirmed that the increase in young adult volunteers aged 16-24, makes up almost half of the overall increase in the number of volunteers nationally between 2007 and 2008.[2]