The
Ottawa Citizen
May 31, 2006
Leave a Legacy & Estate Planning
supplement
Page
B1
By
Louise Rachlis
The
Community Foundation of Ottawa's new Youth in Philanthropy program
is a local initiative that engages young people in the world of
community philanthropy.
The Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee has invited local young
people to apply for a new set of grants up to $2,500 available
through the Foundation.
The Youth-Led Community Action Projects Grant Program is a partnership
initiative with Heritage Canada and Community Foundations of Canada.
The deadline for applications was April 20th, and the successful
grant recipients will be announced publicly in mid-June.
Youth programs coordinator Medin Admasu, 23, is a recent graduate
of Carleton University's Human Rights and Law program, and since
the age of 10 has been an active member of community organizations
ranging from the Boys and Girls Club and YOUCAN to Black History
Ottawa and the Ethiopian Community Association.
"My experience with the Community Foundation of Ottawa has
been amazing,"
says Medin, whose future plans include entrepreneurship, completing
a Master's degree in social work or children's rights law, and
exploring more ways to advocate on behalf of children and youth.
His role as the Coordinator includes the organization of a Youth
Advisory Committee that provides input and creates strategies
for promoting the work of the Community Foundation to young people
and supporters of young people's work in the community.
"Working with our Youth Advisory Committee, I have learned
how seriously young people take the responsibility of supporting
the community through the process of giving out grants,"
he says. "I have also learned that young people have high
expectations from each other in terms of what is said can be done
and what is actually done."
The committee has received requests to grant projects that address
youth issues such as poverty, misperceptions about youth, skills
development, boredom, violence and discrimination, he says.
"Examples include a request to fund the creation of a social
group that supports positive youth living with HIV/AIDS. It was
found that there is no formal social setting for which this group
of youth can interact and support each other."
Another example was a request to fund a community barbeque in
a community where a recent fire at a local store "negatively
impacted that community's understanding of the activities of the
youth in the area," says Medin, who grew up among the diverse
ethnic population of the west-end neighborhood of Foster Farm.
"Philanthropy can be about much more than raising a few dollars
from one event or project," he says. "Effective philanthropy
involves investigation of the issues or concerns a particular
charity or group is trying to address through their work."
There are 16 area young people between 13 and 21 on the Youth
Advisory Committee. Co-Chairs are Joy Ding and Stephanie Zhang,
and members are Yasmin Barreh, Alemayhu Daniel, Lilly Chen, Behtel
Dawit, Iman Dirie, Maha Elmekki, Fetun Kebede, Sofia Muktar, Betel
Nigatu, Liz Randell, Julia Song, Kalkidan Tafese, Bethelehem Tesfaye,
and Yiling Zhu.
"Being part of this group is an incredible opportunity,"
says Kalkidan Tafese, 15, a student at Lisgar Collegiate. "We've
spent the last few months researching and discussing issues that
affect youth from different parts of the city. With the launch
of this grant program, we'll get to support projects that will
address these issues."
The Youth in Philanthropy program is a growing movement among
community foundations across the country. With the support of
an adult advisor, each community's Youth Advisory Committee works
to raise money, build endowment funds and make grants to youth
projects in their local community.
Youth philanthropy is a rising local and global phenomenon that
has seen the creation of over 500 youth grantmaking bodies in
Canada and the U.S., more than half of which are within community
foundations.
Programs have also been started in such countries as Australia,
England, Ireland, Mexico, Poland and Russia.
For more information about the OYIP program and the new youth
grants project, visit www.cfo-fco.ca.
-------------------
Box with story:
How youth can help
Advice from youth programs coordinator Medin Admasu:
- Before fundraising, do some research! Find out what is being
done about
a particular issue or cause and than decide the best way to support
it.
"Maybe there is a lot of awareness about one aspect of an
issue, but no awareness about other important aspects. Concentrate
your efforts on that."
- Philanthropy is about contributing to the welfare of humankind.
"This can be done using whatever resources you have so long
as those you wish to support are getting the right type of support
they are looking for."
- If you are between the ages of 13 and 21 and living in the Ottawa
region, consider joining the YAC.
© Ottawa Citizen 2006
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