Carol Peck is senior director of family services at Catholic Charities USA, where she works on human trafficking issues and policy.

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., conducts research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25. It posts research on its Web site.

See “The Historically Low Summer and Year Round 2008 Teen Employment Rate,” a September 2008 study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.

The 2011 Volunteering in America study details volunteering trends nationally and provides data by state and city. It includes information about college students.

“Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering” is a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Based on 2004 data, it found that 55 percent of teens volunteered through a formal organization that year.

“Love Thy Neighbor: The Role of Faith in Volunteer Motivation,” a study by the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, found a very high correlation between religiosity and volunteer service.

Michelle Nunn is president and CEO of the Points of Light Institute, which mobilizes millions of volunteers to help solve social problems in thousands of communities.

James Youniss is Wylma R. & James R. Curtin Professor of Psychology at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Youniss has studied teens’ engagement in community service and politics.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez is is the Associate Director of Latino Affairs and Immigration for the Office of Public Engagement at the White House. She is also programs director at the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization that works to engage youth to live out the values of her grandfather, Cesar E. Chavez. A lifelong volunteer, […]