Youth Service Day 2011

Global Youth Service Day took place this past Saturday, April 16. Mountain Alliance hosted the 4th Annual Youth Service Day for Watauga County. The Students Leadership Committee met weekly after school throughout the semester to plan YSD. The goals of Youth Service Day are to:

• Mobilize youth to identify and address needs of their community through service
• Support youth on their life-long path of service and civic engagement.
• Educate the public, the media, and policy makers about the year round contributions the youth in Watauga County are currently involved in.
  

This year 44 students participated in the event, volunteering their time at 4 different service sites. Students gathered at Watauga High School at 9am Saturday for the event. After waiting for the weather to improve groups split up and departed for their service sites. This year the service sites were Horn in the West, Children's Playhouse, Horse Helpers' Chompin' at the Bit Auction and Clinic, and a river clean-up site. Heavy rain Friday night and Saturday morning prevented us from going to the Humane Society and Elk Knob to work. After finishing at the sites students came back to the high school where there was a party to celebrate their service and hard work.

At Horn in the West students worked in the Amphitheater setting up chairs and preparing the site for an event. The River clean-up group started by picking up trash on Highland Avenue before heading to the river. Students assisted the Children's Playhouse in their consignment sale that took place at the Armory Saturday. The final group headed out to Trade, TN for Horse Helpers' 1st Annual Chompin' at the Bit Tack Auction and Clinic. Students helped to model items being auctioned and also helped with the parking at the event. As a result of Youth Service Day, participants collectively contributed 174 hours of service to Watauga County.