With Rosh Hashana and the High Holidays comes a season of round challahs and lots of opportunities to renew, refresh, and start a new page. As the Jewish community turns a corner into a new year, the YoPhI Teen Board turns from year two to year three of the initiative with lots of new beginnings.
The members of the 2019-2020 Teen Board completed a year-long philanthropic initiative at a ceremony earlier in June, awarding more than $10,000 to local nonprofits. For the 2019-2020 funding round, the 28 members of the YoPhI Teen Board chose to support proposals in three focus areas: Environmental Sustainability, Education, and Equity.
The Teen Board received 23 grant applications and selected to support four proposals. They provided funding for Warren Branch Teen Programs through the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation, Adopt-a-Block Tree Distribution at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. Volunteer Training & Recruitment through School on Wheels, Inc., and Resident Allowances through Trinity Haven, Inc. Recipient organizations were honored at a Check Granting Ceremony on June 2, when YoPhI Teen Board members shared reflections on their philanthropic process and celebrated their accomplishment with family, friends, and community partners.
In its second year, the Teen Board doubled in size, both in terms of the number of Board Members and the amount of money given.
“The inaugural 2018-19 cohort created a great sense of momentum for teen-led change in our community. The 2019-20 cohort really seized on this momentum and raised the experience to the next level,” said David Heilbron, the Director of Youth Philanthropy and Connection.
Throughout the summer, Teen Board members have been hard at work preparing for another impactful year. The 2020-21 cohort will include a group of first-year participants as well as a new program for returning second-year participants focused on grantmaking and deepening lessons learned from the first year of the program. This will include “philanthropy masterclasses” with professionals in the field as well as mentoring and leadership opportunities.