Youth Philanthropy Project

Youth Philanthropy Project

Engaging young people in philanthropic "giving" is the purpose of the Foundation's Youth in Philanthropy Project. Approximately a dozen high school students from four local school districts participate. Those schools include Benton, Berwick, Central Columbia, Danville, Bloomsburg, Shikellamy, Selinsgrove and Northwest. The students participate in a process that concludes with the teens approving up to $5,000 in grants. This project is funded by the Berwick Health & Wellness Fund. Central Columbia is also funded through a match of $2,500 from the Central Columbia Educational Foundation.

Danville, Bloomsburg, Shikellamy and Selinsgrove Area High Schools are participating for the first time this year thanks to the support of the Degenstein Foundation and the participation of the Danville Area Community Foundation.

The goals of Youth in Philanthropy are:

To teach high school students the importance of giving and serving
To encourage young people to take action on issues that are important to them
To encourage youth involvement in philanthropy and charitable giving
To help young people develop decision-making and leadership skills

Students who participate in the Youth in Philanthropy Project learn to:

Research community issues and needs affecting young people
Plan and conduct meetings effectively
Make decisions based on teamwork and group consensus
Evaluate the merits of grants
Make decisions to approve or decline grant proposals

The 2007/2008 Youth in Philanthropy groups will be conducting needs assessment surveys in the fall/winter school year, along with interviews and focus groups to determine the needs of youth in their schools. Each group member is challenged with researching non-profit and governmental organizations in their area to determine how to best allocate their $5,000.

Learn more about the Program

Read the Grant History

For more information, please contact Kara Seesholtz, kseesholtz@csgiving.org.