Terms of Service

1. Who May Use This Service

The YouthVolunteer Registry is open to students currently enrolled in grades 6–12 in the United States or abroad. There is no minimum age — students as young as grade 6 (~11 years old) may participate.

Students who are 13 or older may create an account independently, though we strongly encourage parental awareness and involvement.

2. No Fees — Ever

YouthVolunteer does not charge any fee to students, families, supervisors, or organizations for certification, evaluation, recognition, or access to the registry. This policy is permanent and will not change. Awards are earned through service alone — not through payment, membership, or affiliation. If you are asked to pay for a YouthVolunteer certification, please report it to us immediately.

3. Accuracy of Submissions

The integrity of the registry depends on honest reporting. By submitting a certification, you confirm all of the following:

• All hours claimed are genuine, unpaid volunteer service.
• The hours have not been previously counted toward any other award program (e.g., Scouts, religious confirmation programs, school service requirements).
• The supervising contact is an authorized adult who directly witnessed your service and is not a parent, guardian, or relative.
• The organization at which service was performed is a legitimate non-profit, school, government agency, or community organization.
• All information provided — including dates, hours, descriptions, and contact details — is accurate and complete to the best of your knowledge.

Submitting false, misleading, or inflated information is a violation of these Terms and may result in award revocation and permanent disqualification (see Section 6).

4. Supervisor Verification

Every submission is subject to supervisor verification. When you submit a certification:

• Your supervisor will receive an email from YouthVolunteer asking them to confirm your service hours and role.
• The supervisor must be a non-family adult who directly supervised your volunteer work. Supervisors who are parents, guardians, or relatives are not eligible.
• Impersonating a supervisor, fabricating supervisor contact information, or interfering with the verification process is a serious violation of these Terms.
• YouthVolunteer staff may independently contact the organization to verify any submission at any time.

5. Public Recognition & Photo/Name Consent

Approved award recipients may be recognized publicly based on their award level. By accepting an award, you consent to the following recognition terms:

For students under 13: Photo display requires separate written consent from a parent or guardian before any photo is published on the registry.

You may request removal of your name or photo from the public registry at any time by contacting info@youthvolunteer.org. Removal from the public registry does not affect your certified record.

6. Award Revocation

YouthVolunteer reserves the right to revoke any award if we determine, at our sole discretion, that any of the following occurred:

• False certification: Hours were fabricated, inflated, or misrepresented.
• Supervisor fraud: The supervisor contact was fabricated, impersonated, or colluded with the student to falsely verify hours.
• Double-counting: Hours were previously counted toward another award program without disclosure.
• Ineligible service: The service was paid employment, mandatory school service, or otherwise did not meet program eligibility criteria.
• Violation of these Terms: Any other conduct that undermines the integrity of the registry.

Before revoking an award, we will notify the account holder and provide a reasonable opportunity to respond (typically 10 business days). Revocation removes the award from the public registry and flags the certified record internally. If revocation involves suspected fraud, the account may be permanently suspended.

7. Scholarship Program

Recipients of the Youth Service Leader Award (1,000+ certified hours) are considered for an annual scholarship. The following disclaimer applies:

• The scholarship program is planned but not yet guaranteed. Funding depends on annual fundraising and donor commitments.
• Achieving the Youth Service Leader Award level does not guarantee receipt of a scholarship.
• Scholarship eligibility criteria, award amounts, and application processes will be published separately when the program launches.
• YouthVolunteer is not liable for any expectation of scholarship funds based solely on award level achievement.

8. Account Responsibility

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. Do not share your password with anyone. If you suspect unauthorized access to your account, notify us immediately at info@youthvolunteer.org.

You may not create more than one account. Duplicate accounts will be merged or deleted, and hours may not be combined across accounts created in bad faith.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Submit false, fabricated, or misleading information in any certification or account field.
• Impersonate a supervisor, organization representative, or any other person.
• Attempt to manipulate, reverse-engineer, or circumvent the verification process.
• Use the registry for any commercial purpose or to solicit other users.
• Attempt to access another user's account or any system beyond your own account.
• Upload malicious files or content intended to harm the registry or its users.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The YouthVolunteer registry is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that certified records will be accepted or recognized by any college, university, scholarship program, or employer — that decision belongs entirely to the recipient institution. We make no guarantee of uninterrupted service availability.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the version number and date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the registry after the effective date of a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States. COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) compliance is governed by U.S. federal law and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in accordance with U.S. law.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? info@youthvolunteer.org