Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Ottawa – United Way/Centraide’s Youth Action Panel announced funding for 15 youth-led projects this evening. The first round of 2008 grants is being put to work with cross-cultural conflict resolution training for high school students, a mentoring program that matches younger kids with teens, and a family dinner for new Canadians, to name but a few.
“Ottawa youth have a real desire to participate in their community, said Hardie Rath-Wilson, Co-Chair, Youth Action Panel. “They work, learn, and play in their communities on a daily basis so they understand community challenges and have really creative ideas of how to address the gaps. The Youth Action Panel is proud to empower these groups with funding to help them make real change.”
The grants range from $1,200 to $2,500, for a total of $33,085, and will provide youth groups with the funds to organize a program or activity. For these grants, the Youth Action Panel established four priority areas which they felt were issues important to youth: Youth Engagement, Supporting Immigrant Youth, Sports and Recreation, and Supporting Improved Health among Youth. The grants where allocated to projects that the panel believes will have the greatest success in addressing a community need in one of the priority areas.
“The leadership and ingenuity these groups display is truly exemplary,” said Eileen Dooley, Vice-President, Community Services, United Way Ottawa. “Their hard work is being rewarded with these grants and now they will have the necessary resources to make a difference in the lives of others and in their community.”
In 2001, United Way/Centraide established the Youth Action Panel, a group of volunteers ages 13 to 18. The Youth Action Panel is primarily responsible for soliciting and reviewing youth group grant proposals and investing dollars in projects that will have a measurable impact on youth in the community. Since its inception, the Youth Action Panel has distributed more than $300,000 in grants.
For more information about Youth Action, please visit www.youthactionjeunesse.ca.
The first 2008 grant recipients are:
National Capital Region Gay-Straight Alliance Network
The project hopes to strengthen Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs (GSA) in high schools by supporting students working to address homophobia, sexism and transphobia.
A Real Challenge: Ottawa Youth Film
The idea of the project is to have a short film festival of movies that are written, filmed, directed, acted, and produced by high school students about topics of interest to raise awareness of racism, violence in schools, cultural diversity, religious tolerance and drugs.
Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution
This project equips a selection of Ridgemont High School students with knowledge regarding cross-cultural conflict resolution.
Youth Care
The objectives of this project are to have youth come together, allow youth to establish a stronger line of communication with one another, work on team building skills, and become involved in the community by working together toward a common goal.
Dream Makers
This project creates a mentoring program for children ages four to eight. Youth will be responsible for planning activities to engage the children in reading and writing.
Changer Ma Communauté - Souper Familial
Students of Samuel Genest Catholic School will organize a family dinner for under-privileged families of the community.
Soirée Haïtienne
Students of Samuel Genest Catholic School will organize a multicultural supper for immigrant families in the community. The families will learn about the services available to them as they settle in to a new Canadian life.
Community Kitchen
This project looks to inspire people in the community to come out and teach youth how to cook some favorite traditional dishes. This program will serve healthy food to community members from different backgrounds in a safe and friendly environment.
Youth Activities in Parks (YAP)
The purpose of this project is to provide more physical activity at a local park for children and youth within the community.
Our Community
This project will develop relationships between youth, children and adults in the community. The group would like to decrease the tension in the community due to cultural and age differences.
Spring Forward
This project encourages strengthening the presence of visual arts in schools, allowing for a different outlet of communication.
Black Youth Conference Day
This project is an event that gathers black youth from across the Ottawa school system in order to engage them in conversation, empower them to actively participate in the discovery, manifestation, and articulation of their visions for themselves, the black community and the world.
Phoenix Youth Basketball Team
The Ottawa Phoenix basketball organization focuses on community, education, athletics, self-generation and transformation through basketball. The organization promotes community by having players volunteer at various community events.
Leadership Academy
This project aims to empower young people by engaging them in a conversation about who youth are in the community and how they would like to create a space of self-empowerment through youth-led programs and projects.
Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa’s (CAYFO) Youth Commission Conference: Stop Whispering…. Start Shouting
The project will inspire and equip youth with tools to act and address everyday issues. The group will also launch a new CAYFO program called Ottawa Youth For Change. It is a program that gives youth the tools to make social action projects across the city to think locally and act globally.
About United Way/Centraide Ottawa
United Way Ottawa’s mission is to bring people and resources together to build a strong, healthy, safe, community for all. By bringing people together from all parts of our community to identify, develop and provide solutions to community needs, we promise that the donations we receive go where they are needed most. In 2008, United Way Ottawa made a record community investment to support more than 200 projects, programs and partnerships, in more than 100 community organizations.