Today's guest post is written by David Battey, Founder and President of Youth Volunteer Corps.  David majored in political economy at Williams College and developed the concept of Youth Volunteer Corps as part of his senior thesis. After establishing Youth Volunteer Corps of Greater Kansas City he was hired by Youth Service America to begin national replication of the YVC model and is now a nationally recognized leader in the community service and youth development fields.

"One of the most powerful gifts we can give our youth is the chance to make a difference. I learned that in an unexpected way a few years ago when my sister and her daughter Lindsay were in town visiting. I offhandedly invited them to an end-of-summer Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) youth volunteer recognition event, and to my surprise they accepted the invitation.

I had no idea at the time that the event would have such a profound impact on my nine-year-old niece. After watching the slides of young people serving and hearing their remarks, she announced her intention to be one of those volunteers when she turned 11. Her mom and I were both surprised, as Lindsay had never shown an interest in volunteering up until this point. But that evening clearly inspired her. Her mom and I were delighted and a little skeptical about whether she would follow through and volunteer in two years.

Fast forward two years and Lindsay was still eager to join her fellow teens and volunteer, so she came and stayed with me for a week and joined a team of strangers on a project at an animal shelter. Although she was one of the youngest volunteers on her eight-person team, with the help of team-building games organized by the 22-year-old Team Leader, she fit in and felt comfortable. As the week progressed, I could tell Lindsay was having fun, learning and feeling good about what she was accomplishing.

Teenagers aren't always the most communicative people, especially when it comes to talking to adults; Lindsay is no different. So her grandparents and I were delighted when, at dinner on the evening before her last day of volunteering, Lindsay animatedly answered our many questions about the animal shelter and how it operated. She told us about the policies of the shelter along with heartwarming stories about the animals. I was impressed with how much she knew after only three days. Particularly moving was how much Lindsay loved talking about the other volunteers, especially her Team Leader Winter Wallace.

When my mother signed me up to volunteer when I was a teenager, I was not as excited as my niece Lindsey. But the experience was so powerful it cut through my teenage cynicism and literally changed the course of my life.

When I graduated college, I started YVC because I knew firsthand the transformative power service could have on youth. In the last 25 years I have had the great fortune of witnessing this life-changing process over and over, and it never fails to inspire me. Watching my niece’s attitude and perspective shift as the result of her experience volunteering gave me an idea of what it must have been like for my mother to watch me change and what it is like for YVC parents all over the country to watch their children learn and change.

Check out Youth Volunteer Corps If you know an 11 to 18 year old looking to volunteer.

You can also follow us on Twitter @YVolunteerCorps or become a fan on Facebook to find more ways to get involved. It only takes one step to get involved in service, but that one step could change the entire direction of a young person’s life."

Check out generationOn for more youth volunteering resources and to get involved with Make Your Mark Week October 16-22, a youth week dedicated to making a difference in the world.