We support youth volunteerism, community service, service-learning, and youth leadership.

Help Learn and Serve Tampa provides youth with the tools, materials, and supplies they need for meaningful community service-learning projects. Bid on gift cards and certificates, event tickets, memorabilia, trips, and more. The link will take you to our Givebutter donation page. At the Top of the page, click AUCTION! Register here to see items! Bidding starts on November 18 at noon. If you don't see anything you like, read about our Giving Tuesday Match program below!

Learn and Serve Tampa is hosting an online fundraiser to support our various projects, including 911 Day of Service and Remembrance, and to sustain our operations. We ask if you would be a match partner for Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

This is how it works:

• A business sets a maximum match ($50 or more)
• An individual sets a maximum match ($10 or more)
• Starting Friday, November 1 through Tuesday, December 3, we will accept donations via our social media campaign. You would be listed as a match partner! As donations come in, we match donations until your limit has been met.
• On December 4, we will send you a link to contribute the amount matched. You can also mail a check for the amount.
• We plan to launch our Giving Tuesday Campaign on November 1, 2024, so please reach out soon!

We want your help, support, ideas, and outside-the-box thinking to solve some of humanity's hardest issues. A youthful perspective reminds adults there are many ways to approach complex problems. This is a call to serve for youth of all ages.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is approaching. Learn and Serve Tampa will be hosting a regional project open to youth and families in Tampa Bay. We encourage youth, and the adults who work with youth regularly, to answer this call to service by hosting a project for your local community or school. As a Youth Service America Lead Agency and a host for Realize The Dream goal of 100 Million by 100 in 2029, we ask that group leaders let us know about plans (or interest in) proposed projects between January 13-24, 2029, in honor of Dr. King. Groups can begin by reviewing the United Nations 17 Goals for Sustainable Development. We will need projects related Helene and possible future hurricanes as these weather events leave many in need. Service can come in many forms. Become an educated climate change advocate and write to those in positions to make a difference. Take action directly by cleaning public spaces or boxing food for those in need. Indirectly impact veterans, service members, or first responders with cards or care packages. Even researching a topic and sharing verified data can be a service.

Here is a comprehensive list of ideas for community service we found in the Join In blog!.

If you want to serve and don't know how to get started, visit the Youth Resources section on LearnAndServeTampa.Org. Email kverdi@learnandservetampa.org to schedule virtual support.

We believe the spirit of volunteering is in the genes! Children need parents who help in the community. Make November 23rd a family day! Set aside a few hours to clean up the neighborhood, deliver meals, or visit veterans. Picture: Learn and Serve Tampa Founder and Executive Director shows son Tucker that volunteering can be fun! circa 1998. For more ideas, visit https://www.learnandservetampa.org/service-ideas

Many hurricane relief volunteer opportunities are available through United Way Suncoast and Volunteer Florida. Just so you know, many opportunities are limited to adults, but some welcome youth to attend with a parent/guardian. Also, in reviewing these opportunities, youth may think of great ways to indirectly support or advocate for those impacted by the hurricane. We encourage youth to present these ideas to teachers as service-learning projects. Learn and Serve Tampa can assist you with planning your project! Consider starting a Red Cross Club at your school or join the Hillsborough Explorers Post , Pasco Explorers, Pinellas Cadets. Remember, recovery will be a long process! Consider planning an MLK, Jr. Day of Service Project (see below) for January 2025 or even a Global Youth Service Project in Spring 2025.

Of course we need to feed people now, but how can we plan better to feed people tomorrow? Twelve youth cohorts of 2 to 5 youth (all between age 5 and 25 and in the US) will each be awarded a $2500 grant. Proposals need to address root causes of hunger and must be replicable for future years. These projects should also be for the local community. To apply, visit YSA Sodexo Grant here.

Learn and Serve Tampa has been notified we will be a Youth Service America Lead Agency again for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service in January 2025 and Global Youth Service Day in April 2025. Look for opportunities to partner with us to provide youth with high-quality community service and service-learning activities!

Both schools have been selected for the National Youth Leadership Council's Youth As Solutions program! We look forward to learning more about their projects.

United Way Suncoast

Volunteer Match

Volunteer Connect

YMCA

Humane Society of Tampa Bay

Feeding America Tampa Bay

Metropolitan Ministries

American Red Cross

The Spring Tampa Bay

Just Serve

City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department

Ronald McDonald House Tampa

Special Olympics

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 at Learn and Serve Tampa Inc, to bring high-quality service-learning instruction to Tampa area K-12 classrooms and schools, is grounded in our core value of youth empowerment. We are building partnerships with teachers and school leaders, other nonprofits, and businesses who agree that we need to listen to our youth and validate their concerns by supporting their service ideas. Service-learning gives youth a voice in solving issues they deem important, building leadership, personal, and social skills while entrenching the content in a real world context. Let's encourage our young people to think critically about real issues and propose solutions! This April-May, give youth time IN SCHOOL to voice their concerns about the future and encourage them to problem solve through service. #youthempowerment #GlobalYouthServiceDay

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 diversity, equity, and inclusion of all human beings.

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 sustaining human civilization. It is a key component to winning in life.