WEST LIBERTY – Thanks to their newest pilot program, West Liberty students will soon have the chance to not only learn about the power and importance of philanthropy but also participate in the practice of it.
Starting this fall, the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine is going to be piloting Amplify Youth, a youth philanthropy program, with the West Liberty Community School District and its West Liberty Youth Dream Catchers, a mentoring program that provides academic support and scholarship opportunities.
Through the Amplify Youth program, these selected students will learn about current key issues, gain philanthropic skills related to topics like leadership and fundraising through various activities, and discover how they can made a true positive difference in their community as they foster a sense of responsibility.
“We’re really excited about the program,” Moriah Ellis, Community Initiatives Coordinator said. “Niki Moore Nienhaus (Programs Manager for Community Foundation) and I will be teaching a lot of the lessons to the kids, and we’re going to have one session every week this fall. The goal is just to teach them different things about philanthropy, what it means and how they can be charitable philanthropists as kids too and don’t have to wait until they’re adults to start getting involved with their community.”
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Additionally, the students participating in the program will also get to practice philanthropy themselves by selected a West Liberty non-profit to receive a $5,000 grant.
To help kick off the Amplify Youth program — which will be held during the fall of this year — nine West Liberty Dream Catchers students participated in the Iowa Youth Philanthropy Conference on August 3 at the Iowa Valley Community College in Marshalltown.
During the event, participating youth philanthropy groups from across the state had the chance to learn from, network with and share their experiences with each other. Students at the conference also attended workshops and break-out sessions on various philanthropy topics, getting the chance to hear directly from other youth groups such as uVoice and Teen Trust. They also learned about how they could stay involved in philanthropy even after graduating from their youth program.
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“I think the philanthropy conference was a good experience because we were able to learn about different communities and how people work together to help each other out. I also learned about some of the ways I could help my town and community in the future,” Vianney Hernandez, a ninth grade student, said in a provided statement.
For the time being, Ellis said that she and Nienhaus are going to use Amplify Youth’s first year to focus on what does and doesn’t work with it in order to make whatever improvements necessary for the program’s future. In addition to wanting to do it yearly, they also hope to eventually expand Amplify Youth to other Muscatine County schools.
For those wanting to learn more about the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine’s various plans, grants and programs, residents can go to https://www.givinggreater.org.
Photos: West Liberty falls to Iowa City Regina, 2-1, in IHSAA boys soccer quarterfinal