WHEREAS, Youth volunteer service has been shown to increase a young person's sense of confidence, responsibility, and compassion for others, and to build social skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; and
     WHEREAS, Youth volunteer service empowers young people through opportunities to contribute ideas, abilities, and energies to their communities, and plays a valuable role in shaping how youth learn to interact with their communities; and
     WHEREAS, Youth volunteer service offers young people the opportunity to find and develop mentors and role models and connect what they learn in school to "real world" experiences; and
     WHEREAS, Volunteering has been shown to be a learned social behavior and youth volunteer service has been shown to promote a lifetime ethic and commitment to service; and
     WHEREAS, Research has demonstrated when disenfranchised youth are introduced to quality volunteer opportunities, the likelihood of at-risk behavior decreases and social trust increases; and
     WHEREAS, There has been a growing trend in the inclusion of community service and service learning in America's schools over the past 20 years as educators embrace the value of youth volunteer service for academic and personal development; and
     WHEREAS, The average youth volunteer contributes 29 hours of service per year, and research has demonstrated that the more regularly an individual volunteers, the more likely he or she is to be civically and politically engaged; and
     WHEREAS, The Obama administration has stated that they will set a goal for all middle and high school students to engage in at least 50 hours of community service per year;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives officially recognize the value of youth volunteer service and encourage students of Washington state to earn the President's Volunteer Service Award.