Youth Volunteerism and Civic Service in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Potential Strategy for Social and Economic Development

In this background paper, we explore the history and forms of volunteerism in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, and consider the potential effects of volunteerism and civic service on youth, individuals, communities, and society. This is an initial attempt to synthesize existing research on volunteerism and civic service in the LAC region, and we may have left out important studies. We also acknowledge that not every country or every volunteer or civic service program is represented, and that non-Spanish speaking Caribbean countries are underrepresented. We hope that this work may serve as a first step and contribution toward a larger and more extensive research agenda for the region.

Project: Youth Service in Latin America and the Caribbean