Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

Top Posts of 2011 – #8 Columbus Day 1492 ways to get youth involved in volunteering and charity

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Originally Posted:  October 10, 2011

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… that’s how the little rhyme goes right?  And just to be clear we’re not talking about this Chris Columbus but rather, this one.  Today is Columbus Day in the US and just like on Labor Day we’re going to celebrate by spotlighting some incredible youth and their accomplishments in making the world a better place.

One Goal

  • To make a difference

Four Teens

  • Shannon McNamara – When Shannon was 15 she visited Africa and discovered ‘book famine.’  Share provides books and educational programs for girls in Africa.
  • Alex Epstein – Co-founded New York 2 New Orleans when he was 17.  NY2NO’s goal is to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged teens in both NYC and NOLA.
  • Matt Pierce – While a Senior in high school the BP Oil Spill happened in the gulf of Mexico.  Matt wanted to make a difference and started Teenagers Care to show that teenagers care about the environment  and can make a difference through philanthropic efforts.
  • Craig Kielburger – When Craig was 12 he read about Iqbal Masih who died standing up for Children’s Rights and joined 11 of his other 7 grade friends to start a network of children helping children.  Free the Children builds schools and school rooms to help educate children around the world.

Nine Steps – tips and steps to guide youth when starting their own non-profit from Idealist.org.  If you are in the UK you will want to check out the user-friendly website of the Charity Commission.

Tips:

  • All non-profits are local- even the international ones
  • Local supporters are necessary- non-profits are not started in isolation
  • Non-profits can be and should be business-like- by keeping good records
  • Sometimes starting a non-profit isn’t the best way to serve- you can start doing good work sooner by partnering with organizations that are already serving the community
  • Plan for the long term- you need a clear plan for how to create a sustainable organization if you want to make lasting change to big problems
  • You need a board of directors
  • You need governing documents or bylaws
  • You need 501c3 (in the US) or charitable status (in the UK)
  • You need a clear and specific mission and vision
* In the UK you also need around 5,000 GBP through your organization to apply for charitable status.

Two Ways you can help

  • Do- do something, anything! Volunteer your time, send out info, tweet about it, FB your friends, send a text, raise some money- moo-lah, dosh, pesos…
  • Donate- find a charity you love to support and give it financial backing.  Charities and non-profits need money to do the good work they are there for.

1, 4, 9, 2 – see what I did there?  Now, how can you use 1, 4, 9, 2 to get your youth involved in making a difference? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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