Share the YAC Experience at Local Schools
Keywords:
Awareness
Definition of Philanthropy
You love your philanthropy experience. How do you get more young people involved in their community and thinking about YAC? This guide gives tips and tools for introducing others to philanthropy at local schools and through service.
Why Start Early?
- Young people start learning empathy and perspective-taking around age 4. Picture books with varied perspectives are a great tool for introducing these concepts.
- If children start taking action for the benefit of others before they are age 10, they are more likely to develop lifelong habits of generosity.
- Young people are capable and deserve to be actively engaged in questioning and taking vital roles of volunteers, advocates, and experts who drive change.
Expose All Young People to Philanthropy
Now more than ever our world needs every person to be aware of their voice and value to the common good. Young people are not just our leaders of the future; they have valuable voices and are making an impact today. Whether as volunteers, voters, contributors to a cause, social activists, or leaders, each person's voice is part of a strong and diversely talented civil society envisioning a better world.
We know:
- Giving and generosity are learned behaviors.
- Young people learn concepts of philanthropy through conversations and role-modeling.
- Philanthropy education aligns knowledge and skills with the caring we were born with.
- Philanthropic action develops caring, compassion, collaboration, and communication, which are skills we need in our community and in our workforce.
Present YAC to Fifth-Graders
Expose more youth in your community to the joy and work of philanthropy by offering to visit all of the fifth-grade classrooms in your community and make a YAC presentation.
The youth group plans the presentation based on their talents and unique YAC, and here is a model to start the brainstorming:
- Introduce philanthropy and what it means to you. Read and discuss a picture book.
- Share stories of the grants and service of the YAC.
- Share excitement and demonstrate the camaraderie and fun of the YAC.
- Raise awareness of the variety of nonprofits and programs in the community that collaborate with the Foundation.
- Facilitate a mini-giving circle to allow the class to present a grant to a local nonprofit based on their shared interests.
- Talk about how to get involved in YAC and start preparing now with learning and service ideas.
- Q & A about the community, what they care about and ideas for giving back that focus on time, talents and treasure.
- Do the Map Your Heartbreak activity together.