Local News in Brief : Student Volunteer Supporters Meet

Officials of more than 40 California universities and colleges came to UCLA on Monday for the first meeting of an organization dedicated to encouraging student volunteerism. The new group, called California Compact, wants to channel youthful energy into combating such problems as illiteracy and homelessness.

“We want to make it easier for students to become active in service projects and make it more meaningful for them,” said UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young, who is co-chairman of the group, along with Stanford University President Donald Kennedy. The state group is part of a national coalition known as Campus Compact.

Young and others at a press conference at the Westwood campus said that although this generation of young people is often portrayed as very materialistic, many students already perform volunteer work. More students would get involved in social service, organizers said, if teachers offered more guidance and schools gave more recognition to volunteers.