[ot-caption title=”The Lower School has already started to bring in donations for the food drive. (via Ava Goldstone/Sophomore)”]

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), which takes place from April 15-17, 2016 is the largest service event in the world, and the only one dedicated to the contributions that we as children make 365 days of the year!

Established in 1988, and originally known as National Youth Service Day, Global Youth Service Day is now an annual global event that gathers young people from all over the world, and encourages them to be actively involved in community service, service learning, and youth voice activities to benefit their community, country, and the world.  These activities and special events are organized in over one hundred countries each April to mark this celebration.  These events involve millions of individual volunteers as well as more than 2,000 youth organizations around the world, making it the biggest annual celebration of young volunteers.

The event is coordinated by Youth Service America together with a union of organizations, such as Disney and GYSD’s main sponsor State Farm.  A variety of other organizations have been accredited with the administration of the day, including Global Youth Action Network and Points of Light Foundation.

It is a special opportunity for us children to be valued partners in changing the world we live in and each of us has the power to contribute to making a positive difference.  Kofi Annan, who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997-2006 and was the recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for his work for “a better organized and more peaceful world,” said, “Volunteers are some of our most valued partners, and Global Youth Service Day celebrates the efforts of the youngest of them.”

Here at Pine Crest, the Lower School is currently busy collecting food donations for the Joshua’s Heart Foundation to feed the hungry.  In the Upper School, Kids Corp. collects supplies and books, and raises money for disadvantaged students and schools throughout Florida and the United States.  When I am in Middle School next year, I will be raising funds for Girl Up and the Let Girls Learn initiative.  Each of us can contribute to make a positive difference to the world we live in, so let’s all join in and support the efforts of our classmates!

Sources: kofiannanfoundation.org