Tag Archives: youth philanthropy

What role should youth serve in youth philanthropy initiatives?

Service_LearningThe role of youth in charities vary from almost non-existent to limited roles where they can merely serve as a prop to communicate adults’ messages, to models where they have an equal role with adults or even run the organization entirely. The Jewish Teen Funders’ Network lists nine “degrees of participation” going down from maximum to minimum involvement.

9. Youth Initiated and Directed
8. Youth Initiated, Shared Decisions with Adults
7. Youth and Adult Initiated and Directed
6. Adult Initiated, Shared Decisions with Youth
5. Consulted and Informed
4. Assigned but Informed
3. Tokenism
2. Decoration
1. Manipulation

Though a strong adult-controlled model may be favored by those unsure about giving youth a decision-making stake, not acknowledging the skills and ideas of young participants can damage a program. As was noted in a 2001 University of Wisconsin-Madison study “the mutual contributions of youth and adults can result in a synergy, a new power and energy that propels decision-making groups to greater innovation and productivity…youth and adults become more committed to attending meetings and create a climate that is grounded in honest appraisal, reflection, and ongoing learning.” Through taking an active role as contributors and leaders, youth naturally feel more of a stake in the program and desire to involve themselves in it.

Many “best practice” guides recommend the creation of youth boards where teens take a direct role in program administration alongside adult members. The James Irvine Foundation notes that “creating youth boards linked to adult-driven institutions exposes youth to the process of making important decisions, while also demonstrating to adults how youth can be a part of critical community decisions.”

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recommends diversity as critical in forming a successful youth board, with members of all “age, gender, race, religion, socio-economical, and geographical [groups]…leadership ability is distributed across the youth population; dropouts have just as much potential to lead as members of the National Honor Society.” The Kellogg Foundation, among its recommendations, suggests that “youth participants should range in age from 14 to 18 with attendance optional until the age of 21” and that youth members recruit replacements.

community_service_146235651_std For school-centered programs, though, initiation and implementation can be by default adult (teacher/faculty) led. Pennies for Peace is one example of this type of program. Established in 1994 as a program of the Central Asia Institute, Pennies encourages classrooms to fundraise for school-building and education in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pennies expands by asking schools that want to start a campaign to register online, and provides them with a “toolkit” and other supplies such as videos and sample letters to parents and others. The campaign emphasizes that students should donate only pennies, as it believes this allows students of all economic backgrounds to be active contributors. One novel avenue Pennies for Peace emphasizes is direct implementation into class curriculum, such as teaching about Afghan and Pakistani history and culture.

The Genesis Network’s Change for Hope Youth Empowerment Program hopes to improve on the Pennies model through creating a platform where students can move into leadership roles. Concentrated on fundraising for school construction along the Burmese/Thai border, Change for Hope describes itself as “[giving] students an opportunity to apply themselves to real issues and develop real projects that make real differences…[and] the unique opportunity to build direct relationships with Burmese children.” Change for Hope’s goals include eventually establishing itself as a student-run group, as well as providing participants with opportunities including internships and volunteering abroad.

As concluding questions: If your organization runs a youth philanthropy program, what opportunities do you provide or wish to provide for young participants? More specifically, what are the different roles youth and adults have and how do they interact? What approaches work best for you and what additional points do you think charities can learn from? All answers, as well as other questions and comments are more than appreciated.

Can a focus on children create life-long philanthropists?

service learning camp, Jewish Youth Philanthropy Institute

Introduction

Though oft-associated with older and wealthy donors, philanthropy transcends economic and age demographics. Especially today, youth are establishing themselves as a force in charity, holding strong promise for the future. As Philanthropy Journal noted in a November 20, 2002 article:

Americans who volunteer when young are more generous adult donors and volunteers than are those who don’t volunteer when young, says [a] report by Independent Sector and Youth Service America. Parent volunteers are more likely to inspire their children, and parents who volunteered when young are more likely to volunteer with their children.”

The joint paper, among its many findings, stated “44 percent of adults volunteer, and two-thirds of those volunteers began volunteering when young” and that “families in which adults and youngsters volunteer donate $2,895 a year on average compared to $1,576 donated by households in which no one volunteers.”

The opportunity to attract and openly involve youth in donating, and encourage a lifelong ethic of giving is one that should be taken seriously. However, this can only happen when children are actively involved in learning and taking leading roles.

Youth Philanthropy Committee, Hamilton Community Foundation.

Academic Impact

The specific impact of youth involvement in charity on academics is an ongoing topic of research. A 2001 study by the James Irvine Foundation’s Youth Leadership Institute found that
“while there may be little in the way of empirical evidence that these activities lead to improved success in school, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that they do…many involved in the youth philanthropy field, including the youth themselves, make this link not only with academic achievement, but with success in their future careers.”

However, the RMC Research Corporation cited in a report (originally published 2002, updated with new information in 2007) a growing amount of studies pointing to improved school success for youth philanthropy participants, as well as growth of ethical values and self-esteem.

The Irvine Foundation noted in a survey of youth grant making board members, a high percentage gave an answer of “a lot” or a fair amount” when asked how their involvement helped them
• Learn how to make better decisions (95%)
• Learn about issues that peers face in your community (88%)
• Become better at planning and facilitating meetings (82%)
• Feel more comfortable sharing ideas in a group (83%)
• Feel more comfortable in a leadership role (86%)
• Feel more comfortable giving presentations in public (74%)
• Be more committed to helping out the community (89%)
• Develop positive relationships with youth that you would otherwise never have met (87%).
• Develop a strong, positive relationship with at least one adult (79%).
• Prepare for college or higher education (59%).
• Increase their interest in higher education (59%).

With the impact youth philanthropy can have both for giving and those involved, how could you see such a program helping your organization? How would you want to recruit children and teens and give them a voice and role in your work? For one example of a initiative emphasizing youth leadership and empowerment, check out the Genesis Network’s own Change for Hope.

In our next installment, we will discuss best practices in initiating and maintaining a strong youth philanthropy program.