David Yeomans, 20, sits in a crowded coffeehouse with some friends. But he is interested in more than coffee and conversation. For the night, people have gathered in the coffeehouse to raise money and awareness for Darfur.

Another 20-year-old Boston resident, Adam Boucher, of the North End, finds time between school and his part-time job to participate politically at the North End Waterfront/Residents Association. Boucher is helping the association solve the divide between the older North End residents and the community’s growing younger population.

Like Yeomans and Boucher, many young people want to get their hands dirty in their community, in ways that surpass their parents' efforts. A combination of life-altering events and following in parents' footsteps has spurred this new interest in civic engagement and volunteering, said Yumi Yasutake, the youth leader for United Way Massachusetts Bay.

Even though Massachusetts young adults (16- to 24-year-olds) and college students rank 44th in the United States volunteering rates, Massachusetts residents are volunteering more than they have in over a decade. A survey by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau found only 17.5 percent of Massachusetts residents volunteered in 1989, but 28.3 percent of the residents volunteered last year, including 283,140 young adults. The survey collected data from 60,000 households for the "Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life” report.

According to the Independent Sector (a research institute for non-profit and charitable organizations), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Census Bureau, the value of all Massachusetts volunteers in 2006 was $37.5 billion.

Along with volunteering, young people vote more often than in the past. The United States Census Bureau reports that 42 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds from Massachusetts voted in the 2004 presidential election. In comparison, only 36 percent voted in 2000 and a meager 32 percent voted in 1996.

Yasutake said baby boomers went to school, got a job, started a family and then retired. They had their lives planned even before they started high school. However, younger generations have more of a work and life balance, Yasutake said. They see the benefits of “getting more involved,” she said.

“People will come to you with an interest in the arts and culture,” she said. “But they realize we don’t need another museum and will want to help the homeless.”

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