2018 Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) Weekend a Success!

GYSD, a project of Youth Service America, isthe largest youth service event in the world.It is celebrated each year in 135 countrieswith young people working together toaddress critical issues and to change theircommunities. VOiCEup Berks led YouthVolunteer Corps of Reading’s GYSD effortsin Berks County this year by engaging 300+youth in service on April 21 – 22, 2018.

Winner, high school division: Grace Homeschool Co‐op with theirstructure representing an aquaponics system and presentation onhow the development of urban aquaponics could help address foodscarcity issues within cities.

Winner, middle school division: Southwest Middle School with aCanstructure map indicating the greatest areas of food insecurityin the world.

Winner, elementary school division: Holy Guardian Angels School with their representation of a pollinator garden meant to educate students about the importance of bees pollinating 70% of the worlds crops.

1st Annual Canstructure Contest. GYSD weekend started out with a can‐tastic event that had 120 studentsengaged in STEM concepts, team work, and fighting hunger. Our 1st Annual YVC Canstructure Contest was heldon Saturday, April 21 at Albright College. Ten teams of students from all around Berks worked with engineers,architects, contractors, and artists to design and build structures made entirely from canned food. Studentspresented their work to a panel of judges and described their construction techniques as well as statisticsabout food scarcity in America. In the end, 3.16 tons of food were donated to the Greater Berks Bank!