Governor Youth Awards

Governor's Youth Service Awards recognize Michigan student volunteers

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Community Service Commission are pleased to announce 424 awards that honor Michigan students completing between 50 and 400 hours of volunteerism during their high school tenure.

“I am thrilled to honor so many Michigan student volunteers who went above and beyond to help others and build stronger communities across our great state,” said Governor Whitmer. “These extraordinary young Michiganders honored the Michigan tradition of helping others and remained committed to service, giving hundreds of hours of their time to help those in need. They give me hope and will help us build a more prosperous, thriving Michigan for all.”

The Michigan Governor Youth Service Award program is run through a youth social responsibility platform to help students, groups and schools highlight community service impact, passion for causes, skill development and connect local effort to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

There were 1,532 Michigan student volunteers using the platform this academic year, totaling just over 57,000 hours with an estimated impact of $1.6 million in the state. Michigan high school students volunteered 18% more on average compared to the rest of the United States. Youth volunteers spent 68% of their service addressing three UN Global Goals: quality education, good health & well-being, and sustainable cities & communities.

“We are so proud of all the Michigan teens and young adults who gave their time to help others,” said Michigan Community Service Commission Executive Director Ginna Holmes. “By learning the power of volunteerism at a young age, these Michiganders are fostering a lifelong passion of making a difference and strengthening communities – making our state more resilient.”

Award winners included:

• 31 Recipients for Youth Changemaker (400+ hours of service) from 15 different schools
• 52 Recipients for Youth Spirit of Hope (200+ hours of service) from 20 different schools
• 341 Recipients for Michigan Community Impact Awards (50 hours of service, past academic year) from 48 different schools

Student winners will receive medals and signed certificates for their volunteerism efforts.

All schools are invited to work with the Michigan Community Service Commission to have access to the platform at no cost. All college and high school aged students are welcome to join tens of thousands of 14- to 24-year-olds who have developed dynamic visual service resumes through InnerView.org.

Read more about Governor Youth Service Awards.

Read more about InnerView.

The Youth Changemaker and Youth Spirit of Hope student award winners are:

The Community Impact Award winners are: