The Decatur County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative, the Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC). The mission of the YPC is to philanthropically improve the lives of those in Decatur County by leveraging the skills and passions of young people.
According to Public Relations Manager Alex Sefton, the Foundation is aiming to promote youth development in the areas of philanthropy and leadership. “Had I known the far-reaching impact of philanthropy in high school, I would have had a better idea of my future career path,” Sefton said, “The Youth Philanthropy Council at DCCF will allow students to learn about issues that face our community and give them the knowledge and resources they need to tackle them.”
The Community Foundation is working with area high schools to recruit two juniors and two seniors from each school. The committee of 12 students will be led by the staff of the Foundation. This will be a year-long commitment for students that will begin each summer and run through the end of the upcoming school year. The first half of the program will focus on educating students on various topics, including assessing community needs, philanthropy, nonprofit planning, board governance, marketing, accounting/finance, and strategic grantmaking.
While the students learn more about the inner workings of the philanthropic and nonprofit worlds, they will be coordinating their own grantmaking initiative or community project, which will be implemented in the second half of the program. The Community Foundation’s board has approved a $15,000 budget for the YPC, which the students will help oversee and allocate to meet a local need.
“We have some amazing young people in our community, and getting their input into what the needs of our community are is important,” Executive Director Tami Wenning said, “and we have ulterior motives because we’re hoping that this early education of how philanthropy works will help create a talented pool of future board members!”
Students interested in being considered for the YPC should apply before March 31, 2021. For more information or to apply, students can visit www.dccfound.org/ypc. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Sefton at 812.662.6364 or alex@dccfound.org.
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