Thirty students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada comprise the inaugural State Farm® Youth Advisory Board. They are charged with helping State Farm design and implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to State Farm and communities across the United States and Canada.

The board is made up of a diverse group of students. They were selected from more than 600 applications and were chosen based on their strengths as reflected in their application and through telephone interviews with finalists. Each member will commit about 15 hours a month to the board and participate in four face-to-face meetings during their year of service.

One board member and one associate board member will represent each of State Farm's 13 zones across the United States and Canada. The Youth Advisory Board also includes a Corporate representative and three at-large members nominated by State Farm’s national service-learning partners – Youth Service America (YSA), the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC), and the National Service-Learning Partnership (NSLP).

Students chosen presented a clear understanding of service-learning and its value to communities. They were highly motivated, exemplary team players, school and community leaders, passionate, compassionate, innovative, committed and enthusiastic.

Members of this distinguished youth board play a critical leadership role in creating and overseeing the initiative that will address four community issues chosen by the board. The 2006-2007 State Farm Youth Advisory Board chose financial education, access to higher education/closing the achievement gap, disaster preparedness, or teen driver safety to address through a competitive grant process. The board issued their Requests for Proposals in the fall of 2006 and announced 44 grant winners on February 26, 2007.

Applications for membership to the State Farm Youth Advisory Board will be available in February of 2008.