This paper was developed in the interest of extending the reach and benefits of national and community service programs to larger numbers of persons from disadvantaged populations. In particular, this paper is intended to increase understanding of both challenges and opportunities that may accompany efforts to increase the participation by disadvantaged groups. The report explores the research on the impact of education, race and gender on civic engagement; generates hypotheses about what that research suggests by way of strategies for increasing participation; and offers proposals for strategies that might enhance the diversity and equity of participation, including: (1) Designing service programs that are opportunities for collective problem-solving; (2) Defining areas of service that will appeal to community needs that reflect the priority concerns of disadvantaged neighborhoods; and (3) Using service programs to support mediating organizations. The authors also advocate that early exposure to an "ethic of service" should be the cornerstone of national service strategies for increasing participation generally but particularly within poor minority neighborhoods. (Contains 36 footnotes.)