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YouServe pilot launches volunteer-service pilot in four districts; commission seeks guidance on statewide recognition
Summary
A lieutenant governor'backed YouServe pilot will run for four years in four school districts and one charter to track high-school volunteer activity and test whether student service improves academic, civic and well-being outcomes; USBE and YouServe asked the committee for guidance on voluntary statewide recognition options.
Bethany Marker, school counseling and student services specialist, introduced a briefing from YouServe staff on a four-year pilot called Volunteer for Good, a student volunteerism pilot run in partnership with the lieutenant governor's office and implemented with several districts and Mountain Heights Academy.
Mike Moon, YouServe associate director, said the pilot will study whether service and volunteer experience affect student academic outcomes, civic engagement, social connectedness and mental well-being. The pilot includes Nebo, Sevier, Garfield and Granite school districts plus Mountain Heights Academy; LEAs self-selected and designed local service plans. YouServe staff said the program includes a digital tracking system for hours and projects and a protected data-sharing agreement with LEAs to support evaluation.
YouServe described an external evaluation partnership with the Utah Educational Policy Center at the University of Utah to measure program impacts and a longitudinal component to see whether students who participate maintain service engagement after high school. Staff said the pilot is funded through a USBE pass-through arrangement and that the lieutenant governor requested a design that prioritized access so all students, regardless of household circumstances, could participate.
Presenters asked the committee for input on possible statewide recognition tied to participation. Ideas discussed included: a state-level "seal of service" for transcripts (similar to existing seals such as biliteracy), statewide color coordination for graduation cords or honor stoles, a recognized credential or "letter" for service similar to athletic letters, and whether service participation could satisfy any practical civic competency alternative. USBE staff clarified the pilot is voluntary at the LEA and student level and that the civics assessment/graduation requirement landscape is changing; committee members noted the recent legislative change that affects the civics test and discussed implications for civic education routes.
Committee members raised questions about whether making service mandatory would undercut intrinsic motivation and whether recognition would prompt students or families to treat service purely as resume-building; presenters pointed to national research indicating volunteerism improves several student outcomes and said the pilot is designed to test the concept and to surface unintended consequences.
YouServe staff reported early qualitative feedback: districts noted cross-school collaboration on service projects and student enthusiasm in pilot activities; presenters said some LEAs started midyear and are still working out technical and operational details. Presenters said data collection will include a combination of the tracking system outputs (hours, projects, participation rates), student reflection tools and Panorama survey items to measure social-emotional outcomes; parents/guardians must provide opt-in/consent for minors when data are collected.
Committee members asked for examples of LEA plans and suggested pilot recognition pathways that respect family choice and avoid coercion. Presenters said they will return with examples and asked the committee whether the commission would consider recommending specific statewide recognition options once pilot evidence accumulates.
