NYLC Youth Initiatives Receives New Funding

2010 has started off well for youth initiatives at NYLC. In January, Best Buy’s @15 campaign, which had designated NYLC as one of four organizations eligible to receive funding, resulted in more than $23,000 going to youth initiatives. And in February, the State Farm® Youth Advisory Board awarded a $100,000 grant to NYLC to expand the annual National Youth Leadership Training into a year-round program.

As Sarah Ullmer, Youth Initiatives Manager says, “This funding has come at an important time and is a vote of confidence in the young people tackling important issues such as the achievement gap.”

Funding from the @15 campaign will support NYLC’s Youth Initiatives staffing and programming.

Best Buy’s @15 campaign involved young people going online, participating in their @15 website, thereby earning points, then donating points to the organizations they favored.

According to Tim Showalter-Loch, Best Buy community relations manager, more than 7,600 participants gave away more than 17.7 million points to all participating organizations this round — exceeding all previous records of online participation.

And, for the third consecutive year, State Farm’s ® Youth Advisory Board has granted NYLC funding to support young people’s work addressing the achievement gap nationwide. This grant of $100,000 will help expand NYLC’s annual National Youth Leadership Training into a year-round program: the National Service-Learning Leadership Program.

The program will kick off with a training in Mound, Minn. July 18 through 24. Youth participants and their adult mentors will stay connected throughout the year, and receive support through NYLC’s national community of service-learning practitioners linked online through the Generator School Network.

Says Ullmer, “Our Youth Advisory Council is passionate about the power of this program and creating a sustainable model that creates deep impact.”

Already, graduates of the past two years’ National Youth Leadership Training are addressing the achievement gap through a variety of service-learning initiatives, including nutritional programs for families, school-based used clothing centers, and homework help.

Pajnucci Vue, NYLC Youth Advisory Council and Board member commented that “It takes everyone’s cooperation — not just teachers’, not just students’” to address the achievement gap.

NYLC Youth Advisory Council member Afton Delgado, added: “It’s never too late, and it’s up to us to start.”

NYLC is one of three organizations in Minnesota to receive funding from State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board. According to Missy Youmans, State Farm Community Relations Specialist, 1,192 proposals were submitted this year, of which 83 received funding. Similar-sized grants regionally went to a Junior Achievement mentoring program at St. Thomas University and to the High School for the Recording Arts, both of which are based in St. Paul, Minn.

State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board is composed of 30 students, ages 17-20, from the United States and Canada, who direct $5 million annually to address the key issue areas of driver safety, disaster preparedness, financial education, access to higher education, closing the achievement gap, and environmental responsibility.