In recognition of Global Youth Service Day (April 28-30, 2023) YES hosted a virtual webinar on Thursday, April 20 at 9:00am EDT with the goal of encouraging YES alumni and students to implement GYSD projects in their communities. Guest speakers included YES alumni and guests, including Scott Ganske, the VP of Partnerships at Youth Service America, who had the opportunity to describe their work, why GYSD is important, and how participants can get involved. There was also a facilitated audience Q&A session.

Global Youth Service Day, powered by Youth Service America, is the largest youth service and civic action event in the world and the only one that celebrates and builds the capacity of all youth ages 5-25 to help our communities and democracy thrive by working together for the common good. YES students and alumni implement hundreds of GYSD projects in the U.S. and around the world each year. Interested in learning more about GYSD projects? Check out GYSD stories on the YES website!

Thank you for joining us in celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2023!

Meet the guest speakers:

Scott Ganske is the Vice President of Partnerships at Youth Service America. As an international expert in leadership and volunteerism, he has trained and coached over 10,000 students, educators, and administrators from 115 countries. Scott brings 20+ years of experience as a classroom educator (K-12 and college), education consultant, and non-profit administrator who has worked with over 1,000 global organizations.

Joylin Kombe (YES 2016–2017, Tanzania, placed by IRIS in Larrabee, IA) has worked on projects based on period poverty in Arusha, Tanzania. She serves as the Managing Director of a project known as the Little Angel Foundation, which deals with educating people about menstrual hygiene management and making reusable pads available to girls. She has five years of experience on the field. She also focuses on project implementation, management, and planning.

Esther Isah Bila (YES 2014-2015, Nigeria, placed by IRIS in Hills, IA) has served as the National Treasurer KL-YES Alumni Association of Nigeria KL-YAAN. She is the CEO/Founder of the Esther Isah Bila Foundation where she has led the Pad A Girl project for three consecutive years. Esther is also the National Treasurer for the Gombe State Medical Student Association and a volunteer Medical Outreach and Humanitarian Aide at the Nigeria Medical Association. She has worked closely with the Special Education Centre for six years in projects pertaining to hygiene and sex education. She continues to be involved in youth organizations and various associations in Nigeria. Esther is highly motivated in advocating for girl’s education as a tool for economic development in Nigeria.

Daniel Newton Valai (YES 2017-2018, Liberia, placed by IRIS in Altoona, IA) has been involved with a lot of volunteer activities since his return, due to his increasing passion for volunteerism and community services. He has served as the former Secretary General and current President for the YES Alumni Association of Liberia. As a volunteer at iEARN-Liberia he’s deeply involved with YES student recruitment, preparations, and alumni events planning and implementations. Daniel is also the Administrative Director at Partners for Education — a YES alumni organization that supports quality and transparent education, leadership, and entrepreneurship. He has led an awareness campaign against education malpractices in high schools in almost three different counties in Liberia through the YES alumni grant.

Resource List

• Youth Service America’s GYSD website for PDFs and project registration
• Project brainstorming worksheet
• Youth Changing the World Toolkit in Arabic, Bengali, and French
• YES Stories for inspiration from peers who have participated in GYSD projects
• YES alumni from Suriname cleaned the gardens at a care facility for people with disabilities
• A YES alumnus in Jordan distributed dates and water to drivers who were still in traffic at iftar to help them break their fast
• A YES alumnus in Kosovo taught a debate and critical thinking workshop with a friend