Since 2000, the Youth Villages AmeriCorps program has provided tutoring, life skills, service learning, classroom assistance and afterschool programming at the Youth Villages Inner Harbour Campus, a residential treatment facility for youth with emotional and behavioral issues. Service members provide direct services to struggling students, of which the majority are in the foster care and juvenile justice system with histories of abuse, trauma and neglect. Previously chosen by Innovations in Civic Participation as one of the most innovative AmeriCorps programs in the country, the program was recently selected as Volunteer Team of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta and as an Innovation and Leadership Award Featured Finalist by America's Service Commissions.

As one of the most intense and challenging service experiences in the state, the program recruits 20-25 members per year from a pool of almost 500 applicants to live in rustic cabins in the woods and serve in full-time capacity on the 1,200-acre campus. Members engage struggling learners in tutoring sessions aligning with the school’s experiential education accreditation, in addition to providing life skills instruction to older students transitioning out of care. Members facilitate afterschool sessions focusing on music, poetry, art, skill-building, and physical activity during out-of-school hours. Corps members have created multiple outdoor classrooms for hands-on learning on the 1,200-acre campus (Community Garden, Solar System House, and Nature Center), in addition to facilitating and supporting experiential and leadership activities such as West African drumming and dance, ropes course, cooking classes, Student Council and vocational opportunities to benefit this challenging student population.

The program also focuses on engaging youth who traditionally do not have opportunities to serve in long-term service learning projects focused on improving civic and academic engagement. The program acts as a Youth Service America Lead Agency for Global Youth Service Day to engage students at Youth Villages residential facilities and community partners in meaningful service, with over 1,100 youth volunteers in five states participating in 2013. Through special events, such as an annual Career Fair, Harvest Festival, Blueberry Festival, and Talent Show, and participation in national service days, members use innovative methods to encourage student engagement in learning and service. Youth Villages AmeriCorps also provides support to local nonprofits and organizations through weekly service projects, acts as a lead responder to national disasters in the state and regularly partners with other national service teams.

Most recent outcomes show that 80% of students increased in academic performance by one grade level, and 86% achieved improved life skills in one or more deficit areas by 35%. Preliminary results for the 2012-2013 term show similar outcomes, including an increase in achievement for students assigned to AmeriCorps tutors compared to students without tutoring support. During 2011-12, service members completed 45,000 hours of direct service, including 6,000 hours of support for local nonprofits; leveraging over 1,500 volunteers; offering 500 hours of afterschool programming; and providing college/vocational school, job training, and employment assistance for older youth transitioning from residential care into the community.

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