Lead-ND, a student initiative at the University of Notre Dame that provides leadership development programs for local middle-schoolers, has been named the official lead agency for National Youth Service Day (NYSD) in theSouth Bendarea.
As Michiana’s lead agency, Lead-ND will serve as the area’s primary organization and action body for NYSD, billed as the world’s largest service event with millions of young people participating each April in projects ranging from tutoring to park beautification in their local communities. Lead agencies are responsible for planning and selecting projects and organizing opening ceremonies to motivate youth participants.
Lead-ND acted unofficially as lead agency for last year’s NYSD, which markedSouth Bend’s first major observance of the event, in which some 750 area young people participated in various service projects throughout the city. As the now-official lead agency, the group will receive a $2,000 grant and personalized program planning assistance from NYSD’s parent organization, Youth Service America.
In addition to coordinating NYSD activities, Lead-ND also is in its second year of its main initiative, a yearlong service learning and leadership development program that is now in place at threeSouth Bendschools. The organization’s student volunteers work with nearly 100 seventh- and eighth-graders atNavarre, Brown andJeffersonIntermediateCenters, teaching leadership concepts, social action methods and cultural connections.
* Contact: * _Meg Towle, Lead-ND outreach director, 574-631-9673, leadnd@nd.edu _
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