By Jurgen Griswold
I became a member of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council representing Antrim County (YAC) in my freshman year, mainly because my brother was a part of it. Following in his footsteps felt like a natural way to join. At first, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but once I became familiar with the program I loved everything about it.
YAC is a platform that allows youth to determine what is important to them and their communities, but it also impacts so much more. Each county YAC group gets to hear presentations from prospective grant partners and learn about what their organizations do. Then YAC members discuss how much funding we should award each organization through the Community Foundation’s Youth Endowment. Later in the academic year, we visit the organizations we funded and learn what they were able to do with the grants they received from us.
Being a part of this program has allowed me to learn more about the problems that my community faces. I’m lucky that I have a chance to help fund programs that try to help with some of these issues. Not only does YAC teach youth about philanthropy and giving back, it also gives us real-life experiences in grantmaking. We get to witness the goodness in people and help them to expand programs that target local concerns.
Putting a strong emphasis on philanthropy at a young age has helped me appreciate the community I have grown up in – and the need to give back to the people in it. This is also what makes the YAC program so beneficial because it raises the next generation of philanthropists and allows the communities they live in to thrive and grow.
To learn more about YAC, visit: https://www.gtrcf.org/about/youth-advisory-council-program. High school students (in home, private, or public schools) from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau Counties as well as the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized Tribe, are all invited to participate.
About the author: Jürgen Griswold is the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Board of Directors youth representative. He is going into his senior year at Ellsworth High School and is president of his school’s Student Council. Griswold represents several school and community organizations, serving as a three-sport varsity athlete, leadership team member of the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council and as a member of S.A.F.E. in Northern Michigan/Community Anti-Drug Coalition, FIRST Robotics, National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl and his church youth group. He founded the Little Reading Buddies literacy program, and for the past 11 years, co-led an annual fundraiser to benefit the Great Lakes Burn Camp for Kids.
About the author: Jürgen Griswold is the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation Board of Directors youth representative. He is going into his senior year at Ellsworth High School and is president of his school’s Student Council. Griswold represents several school and community organizations, serving as a three-sport varsity athlete, leadership team member of the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council and as a member of S.A.F.E. in Northern Michigan/Community Anti-Drug Coalition, FIRST Robotics, National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl and his church youth group. He founded the Little Reading Buddies literacy program, and for the past 11 years, co-led an annual fundraiser to benefit the Great Lakes Burn Camp for Kids.
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