The Ray

Support Youth Making a Difference!

Learn and Serve Tampa is on a mission to activate young volunteers and youth service leaders through meaningful, student-led service projects. This year, students from 20 local schools took action—packing meals, supporting local nonprofits, honoring 9/11 victims, and serving first responders and animals in need.

Your $5 donation helps fund supplies and service trips, empowering students to lead change in their communities.

Donate today and help us grow the next generation of community leaders!

Join Learn and Serve Tampa as we support Realize The Dream in their mission to collect youth service hours to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with 100,000,000 hours of youth service for his 100th birthday on January 15, 2029! This program is YEAR ROUND. You can submit your hours whenever you prefer, but please submit! Just login and create your account.

The month is only half over! Global Youth Service Month ends on Sunday, May 11th. We would love to hear about youth service in your community. Still looking for something to do? Consider the #SparkPeaceChallenge by Students Rebuild and the Creative Visions Foundation. It is a simple way for youth to "do" philanthropy with other people's money! But first, have students learn about Dan Eldon, the inspiration for Creative Visions. Visit StudentsRebuild.org and register your class, club, or entire school! Students explore the concept of peace and then use any medium to express how they view peace within, in the community, or globally. Upload images to the website, and the Creative Visions Foundation will donate $5 to a peace-building initiative. It is that simple. Use the attached instructions to create a Spark Peace quilt that can hang in the hallway. Get the whole school involved. The goal is $1 million.

On Thursday, May 14, from 5:30-6:30, rising freshmen (those leaving 8th grade and going into 9th grade) can join us to plan a Summer of Service! We can help you identify issues you care about and align your time, talent, and personal interests to meaningful service opportunities. We can also explain the BrightFutures process. Register here to receive the virtual invitation.

April 11- May 11 is Global Youth Service Month! Check out our "menu" of options attached above and share with your teachers and club sponsors. Connect to local nonprofits via the Learn and Serve Tampa website in the Service Opportunities section. Make sure to search United Way Suncoast Volunteer Calendar and Eventbrite Free Charities & Causes

Learn more about application-based youth service teams, councils, and programs! Follow the link to learn when applications open, requirements, due dates, and any applicable fees (don't let that stop you!). Visit our Youth Resources page.

PassItOn! billboards are everywhere. You may have also seen commercials and posters! Now, you can submit your own (short) video or photo that will be inspirational for all age groups and audiences! The Foundation for a Better Life was started by an anonymous benefactor and has built upon the commitments of major media companies to just DO GOOD! Now, the foundation invites you to Pass It On. Upload your inspirational message!

Roots N' Shoots provides a framework for youth action. Start a club at your school today and let youth lay the course for positive change. Or, create a project with a few friends! Another amazing resource for service-learning! One of my favorite is Project in a Box! Roots & Shoots is a global movement of youth leading change in their communities. Tampa has a Roots & Shoots Base Camp! Teachers can use the Roots & Shoots model for any type project, not just the green stuff! Sign up for the Tampa chapter today! There are opportunities for small grants to help get your project started. Visit the website and Take Action today!

On May, 2025, 9/11 will be FOUR months away! It is time to start planning! We use an interactive memorial project for 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance to teach students about the causes, events, and consequences related to terrorism, but also to honor and remember those we have lost in these violent attacks. This is a perfect service-learning project for AVID, Civics, JROTC, and IB students, but the groundwork needs to begin now. Teachers, if you are interested in participating, email Learn and Serve Tampa Inc by May 20, 2025, to share your summer communication information.

Monday, May 26, 2025, is Memorial Day. For many Americans, it is about picnics, barbeques, and boat rides. It is a national holiday to honor and remember those Americans who died while serving our nation. Regardless of your weekend plans, please explain the purpose and meaning of Memorial Day to your child. Take the family to one of the ceremonies in the Tampa Bay area. Make a card (or 2) for a Gold Star Family, thanking them for their sacrifice and service, and take it to one of the ceremonies. We owe it to those families who have experienced losing a son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, or sister as they served to protect our nation.

Civic engagement is a way to improve the quality of life in a community through political and nonpolitical actions. As a young person, you can volunteer, join a service or civic group, raise funds for a cause, or possibly work on community designs. Civic engagement is vital to our democracy. If you are not yet old enough to vote, you might be 18 within 2 to 4 or 8 years, so being civically engaged at the local, state, and national levels is very important now. One action you can take is to write letters to advocate for your beliefs or values. To learn to whom you need to write, you can sign up with Ballotapia.org. You will have to provide your address and an email. Or you can search each level individually. Here is a federal search site. All elected officials provide several methods of contact. William James said it best: “Democracy is still upon its trial. The civic genius of the people is its only bulwark.”

Our organization is here to offer support for teachers and schools who want to teach youth through community service. We offer FREE virtual consultations and seek funding sources to bring youth service-learning experiences to schools. We plan and support the three National Days of Service so youth can join their community in service. Connect with us today.

Of course, the most direct route to supporting our work would be a direct donation through GiveButter!

We need to buy materials and supplies for youth projects, to provide transportation when needed, and general operating funds for insurance, bookkeeping, technology, and more. We hope to expand our capacity to serve and need your support! Have a heart and help us help others!

Our Mission:

We provide opportunities for youth to engage in meaningful community service and empower youth to be service leaders in their community.

Vision:

We envision a world in which youth service opportunities are available, accessible, and inclusive, and provide spaces for developing leadership skills and civic engagement in personally meaningful community service.

Student-centered education: Education is a process that needs to be entirely student-centered.

Youth Empowerment: Youth should be empowered to take action on issues that impact the world they are inheriting.

Democratic Thought: Not just what it is, but how you do it. The important role of self-discipline, respect for the rights and beliefs of others, and the process of teamwork and collaboration.

Equity and Equality Matter: An intentional focus on supporting all human beings in the way that best suits their individual and cultural uniqueness.

Healthy Planet, Healthy People: All institutions must adopt and lean into social and environmental sustainability goals.

Service for the Common Good is a Civic Responsibility: Service to others is expected of all. It is not a set of hours to complete. It is a moral imperative to sustain human civilization. It is a key component to winning in life.