160 Ways To Help The World: Community Service Projects for Young People, by Linda Leeb Duper, Checkmark Books, 1996.  This book explains why community service is important, offers advice on how to plan and execute a project, and provides helpful hints about obtaining support from businesses, handling money, and generating publicity. A comprehensive index of community-service publications and organizations make it easy to research ideas and projects.  Grades K-12.               

Catch the Spirit: Teen Volunteers Tell How They Made a Difference, by Susan K. Perry, Franklin Watts, 2000.  This book is a collection of twenty real-life stories about teens who have made a difference. The book explains how the teens got ideas for their projects, what obstacles they faced, and how rewarded they felt. The book also provides information about how to volunteer. Grades 8-12.

The Kids Guide to Social Action, by Barbara A. Lewis, Free Spirit Publishing 1998.  Provides step by step directions for letter-writing, interviewing, fundraising, speechmaking, media coverage, and more. Includes handouts.   Grades 3-12.

Making History: A Social Studies Curriculum, by Sheldon Berman, series coordinator, Free Spirit Publishing, 1984.  Helps teachers prepare students for democratic participation in society.  Students are encouraged to use their own experiences to assess controversial issues.  Activities explore the meaning of empowerment and how to create change in the community and the nation. Grades 7-12.

Service-Learning Planning and Reflection: A Step-by-Step Guide, by Anika Knox, David B.Wangaard, and Sandra R. Michaelson, Character Development Group, 2003.  This student workbook guides youth in grades four through twelve in identifying community needs, planning and implementing a successful service-learning project, reflecting on their experience through dozens of journal entries, identifying character traits to be demonstrated by the project team, making positive decisions, and evaluating project success.  Grades 4-12.  

Take Action!  A Guide to Active Citizenship, by Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger, Jossey-Bass, 2003. Take Action! is a step-by-step guide to active citizenship that equips young people with the tools they need to make a difference.  Grades 8-10. 

The Youth Act Kit, by YouthAct.org, Citizenship Foundation, 2006.  The Youth Act Kit gives students the advocacy skills they need to learn about a problem, take action, and ultimately change public policy.  The curriculum is structured to be used with social studies and civic health classes.  Available through YouthAct.org.  Grades 8-12.

What Do You Stand For?  by Barbara A. Lewis, Free Spirit Publishing, 2005.  This is a character building workbook for youth. There are exercises, surveys, inventories, texts, and projects to teach kids about values and citizenship. This book could be used in a classroom setting or as a self-directed study.  Grades K-6.