The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with California Volunteers, will host a virtual symposium to discuss findings from public opinion research on young Americans’ views regarding participating in a year of national service. This event will showcase data-driven strategies for California-based stakeholders in the national service field, aimed at increasing demand for a year of service among young Americans. 

In June 2020, the Academy published “Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.” This report, from the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, underscores the importance of establishing a cultural expectation of service, with the goal of making a year of national service a universal experience for young Americans from diverse backgrounds. 

To advance this reform, the Academy collaborated with America’s Service Commissions and California Volunteers to adopt a data-driven approach to boost demand for national service opportunities among young Americans. This symposium will unveil key insights from the Academy’s focus groups in California and from national and state-level polling. It will also provide action-oriented recommendations for national service stakeholders to incorporate effective messaging and tactics into their recruitment practices and processes.