By Scott Ganske, YSA’s Senior Director of Education

“Martin Luther King was interested in big results, not the short-term. So the idea of King Day being the signal for a long-term commitment by millions of students over a semester would have warmed his heart. Martin always asked us to do more than we were doing because the road ahead was still so long. The Mountain to climb was still so tall. The Semester of Service is just that opportunity to do more.” Senator Harris Wofford, Colleague and Lawyer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

YSA created the Semester of Service campaign in 2008 to leverage two great Days of Service – MLK Day in January and Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) in April.  New research showed that 70 hours is an ideal time-period for a service-learning program, providing sufficient time to maximize benefits to both students and the community. By using these highly visible events as book-ends, YSA created a framework for students to learn about the root causes of a social issue and take action in substantive ways while reinforcing academic learning.

Eight years later, YSA is thrilled that our network of amazing schools will use MLK Day to launch their Semester of Service, with the ultimate goal of creating a culture of service in schools. By equipping principals and superintendents to train their staff, YSA is developing a model to support system-wide implementation.   

YSA’s network of schools will engage thousands of students in meaningful service activities on MLK Day through a Beloved Communities Innovation School program, an expansion of the Good Neighbor Innovation School program funded by State Farm. Activities will focus on areas such as healthy eating, recycling, hunger, and the environment. YSA supports K-12 public schools through training, technical assistance, grants, and an interactive learning network.

• Thomson Elementary – Washington, DC
  
• East Mecklenburg High School – Charlotte, NC
  
• Blair Elementary - Waukesha, WI
  
• Richardson High School – Richardson, TX
  
• South Knoxville Elementary – Knoxville, TN
  
• Foshay Learning Center – Los Angeles, CA
  
• Reyes Maria Ruiz Leadership Academy – Phoenix, AZ
  
• Sylvan Hills Middle School – Atlanta, GA
  
• Troy Athens High School – Troy, MI
  
• New Foundations Charter School – Philadelphia, PA
  
• Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District - Merrick, NY
  
• V.W. Miller Intermediate School – Pasadena, TX

Each week leading up to MLK Day on January 18, CNCS will spotlight a 2015 MLK Day Service Leader. The MLK Day Service leaders are organizations that are planning and carrying out service projects to bring Americans together to meet community needs on Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service. To learn more about MLK Day or to share your service project, visit MLKDay.gov.