Youth as Resources  Youth Led Mini Grants 

Projects where Youth and Adults are working together

 

Youth as Resources (YAR) is a philosophy and a program that recognizes youth as valuable community resources and engages them as partners with adults in bringing about positive community change.

The three principles of YAR are--

* Youth-adult partnership in governance

* Youth as grantmakers

* Youth-led service

Community-based YAR programs, governed by a board of youth and adults, provide grants to young people to design and carry out service projects. The youth and adult board members work in partnership to solicit and evaluate project proposals from local youth. The proposals must address a clear community need.

Young people in neighborhood centers, youth organizations, community foundations, classrooms, and clubs identify social issues that concern them and design projects to address them. Popular issues range from health, housing, education, and the environment to drugs, gangs, illiteracy, and crime. The youth are the key leaders and decision-makers in implementing their idea.

Guidelines

 Young people who want to dedicate themselves to

addressing problems and meeting critical

community needs are invited to apply.

 

Applicants must identify a sponsoring group with

non-profit status such as a community organization,

youth group, church or school.

There is no lower age limit for program

participants. The upper age limit for youth

participants is 25. The Youth Contact Person (the

youth leader responsible for the program,) must be

at least 13 years old.

Funding requests may be up to $2,500. The average

grant is $1,000.

Programs funded will be those:

that address a critical community

problem(s);

where young people come up with the

idea, create the plan, do the work and

make the decisions -- with the help and

support of adults;

that can be started and carried out by the

same group of young people;

that are long term and make change last;

and

that have a realistic budget and a solid

plan.

Youth As Resources grants will not pay for stipends. A stipend is a payment, such as a salary, allowance,

honorarium and/or offering for services rendered. Examples of stipends include paying a “DJ” for an event or giving a

fixed honorarium to a professional dancer to teach step class etc… However, YAR will cover things like bus fare and

baby-sitting to help young people participate in the programs they’ve designed.

Youth As Resources will consider youth-led businesses as long as all proceeds are used to address a critical

community need.

Youth As Resources will give preference to programs where young people directly solve a community problem (like

providing a safe place for younger children, changing a law/policy etc...). Youth As Resources defines community

problem as an obstacle or dilemma that is identified and understood by the youth involved in planning the program,.

Youth As Resources will also consider indirect projects (like raising money to renovate vacant houses) as long as the

same young people will also help with the work once the money is raised (i.e. participate in the renovation of the home.