Service Sparks Projects

Grade Level: 
PreK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Keywords: 
YGFGservice
Ignite meaningful action that lights up the world through "Service Sparks" youth projects!  These Service Sparks guides provide directions for generous actions that encourage youth voice and promote the common good. Each project includes step-by-step instructions.

Service Sparks Youth Action 

Ignite meaningful action that lights up the world through "Service Sparks" youth projects! 

These simple and motivating service project guides provide a starting point for individuals or groups of young people looking to make a difference with their time and talent. Search all projects here.

 

Environmental Themes

  1. Pet Toys from Recycled T-Shirts: Make comfort toys and blankets for the animals who are waiting to be adopted.
  2. Grow Something to Give: Grow a plant from seeds and give the plant to cheer someone's day.
  3. Earth Day Scavenger Hunt: Look for items in nature from a shared list, then connect with others to compare what you found and share ideas about the joy of nature.
  4. Bird Feeder from Recycled Materials: Make and decorate a bird feeder and enjoy the visitors from the window.
  5. Bee and Butterfly Garden: Create a welcome environment for bees and beneficial insects by providing water and flowering plants.
  6. Reduce Plastic - Drink from Reusable Water Bottles! Conduct research on the quality of water in your community or home. Tell your friends and community members to stop buying bottled water and carry a reusable water bottle. 

Creative Arts Projects

  1. Neighborhood Ladybug Hunt: Make a game of decorating and hiding treasures for younger neighbors to find. 
  2. Boost Happiness with Art: Lift others’ spirits with kind messages and art in windows and on sidewalks.
  3. Uplifting Art in the Community: Have fun making creative art from natural or recycled items. Give the art to someone to brighten their day. 
  4. ABCs of Advocacy:  Share your knowledge and ideas for action about an issue you care about through writing and illustrating an ABC book. 
  5. Family Cultural Night: Plan an event that recognizes and celebrates the variety of cultures in your community. 

Civic Action Projects

  1. Reduce Food Waste: Examine the habits in the community or in your house and propose ways to reduce food waste.
  2. Advocacy Posters: Images and words together can inform and persuade to make change. 
  3. Letter to Your Representative:  Use your voice to compose letters to your state representatives advocating change for an issue of your choice.
  4. Equity in Your Library: Look for gaps and make a proposal to grow the diversity of the books and challenge yourself and others to learn about people and the world from different perspectives. 
  5. Family Cultural Night: Plan an event that recognizes and celebrates the variety of cultures in your community.
  6. Family Donation Decision: This family activity brings together passions and heart for doing good.
  7. Community Accessibility Audit: Raise awareness of community places that could be more accessible for people with vision, hearing, or mobility issues. 

Communication and Advocacy

  1. Shout Out to Teachers: Let your teacher, coach, or group leader know you appreciate them.
  2. Listen with Generosity: Practice active listening that values another's experience.
  3. Gratitude Pen Pals: Help people look on the bright side by writing letters.
  4. Cultural Traditions Calendar: Add a variety of cultural holidays to your annual calendar to raise awareness of the variety of ways people celebrate their cultural traditions. 
  5. Joy of Reading: The act of reading to someone is gift enough, and we add to the service when the book encourages us to talk about important ideas that build community.
  6. Spark a Giving Conversation: One conversation may spark another and spread generosity like ripples in the larger community. 
  7. Beauty Campaign: Encourage people to define beauty as the things that make us unique, resilient, powerful, and thoughtful of others.
  8. Photo Stories of Cultural Generosity:  Youth look for and capture the stories of philanthropy that express loving and powerful cultural practices.

Helping Neighbors

  1. Community Accessibility Audit: As you walk through the community, look at ways we make places more accessible for people with vision, hearing, or mobility issues. 
  2. Compassionate Expressions: Respond to a traumatic event or loss by sending words of encouragement and empathy to victims or survivors to let them know you care and they are not alone. 
  3. Inequities in Education: Research different ways people have been impacted by the pandemic. Use writing to communicate an idea to make one inequity a little fairer.
  4. Gratitude for Community Workers - Say thank you to the people who keep our community safe and running smoothly.
  5. Spread Peace - Say Something: Start a movement with your friends to use their voices to spread peace, positive messages, and kindness. The world needs your voice. 
  6. Help Neighbors with Yard Work: Volunteer your time and talent to rake, mow, weed, or plant.