Youth Empowered Philanthropy (YEP), a program of the Community Foundation since 2020, educates youth on charitable giving and empowers them to make a significant impact in Allen County. Since its inception, 45 students from 9 schools across the county have participated in YEP. These students attend a 2-hour monthly meeting where they develop essential skills such as leadership, public speaking, critical thinking, consensus-building, and decision-making.
Thanks to the generosity of the Joyce Schlatter Fund at the Community Foundation, YEP students are provided with $10,000 for grants. They review grant applications from area nonprofits, make follow-up calls and emails, and conduct site visits. Based on their findings, the students work as a group to decide which organizations to fund and how much funding to allocate. Additionally, YEP students participate in volunteer projects with local nonprofits.
Through YEP, students build relationships with their peers and the nonprofit community, gain awareness of local needs and challenges, and serve as community leaders through real-life decisions, real money, and real impact. In preparation for the 2024-2025 school year, we collaborated with students from the 2023-2024 cohort to create a recruitment video for future cohorts. We are excited to share the final video from this diverse group of students.