Youth service and moral-civic identity: A case for everyday morality

Mature moral and civic life is distinguished by respect for common humanity which develops through participation in community service. This propositio n is illustrated by studies of adults who rescued Jews during World War II and contemporary adults who lead lives of moral commitment. These individua ls do not view themselves as heroic but believe that their moral sense and actions simply express their identity. A putative developmental process is described by studies that longitudinally track youth activism to adult mora l-civic behavior 10 to 30 years later and that detail changes in adolescent s' thinking during a course on Christian social justice that required commu nity service. Everyday morality seems to be rooted in an essential identity rather than being mediated by calculated reason. It follows that educators who seek to justify service learning can emphasize the identity process wh ile pointing to the life-long linkage between youth participation and adult moral-civic activism.