News New youth philanthropy programme for Christchurch calls for applications
Youth Philanthropy Programme, Generation Give, is expanding into Christchurch in March after a successful pilot programme in Queenstown during 2019. The organisation responsible for the programme, Youth Philanthropy New Zealand (YPNZ), is partnering with The Christchurch Foundation to deliver the programme. The Hon. Lianne Dalziel, Mayor of Christchurch, is the programme's patron.
YPNZ and The Christchurch Foundation are calling for applications to take part. Twenty positions are open. More information about how to apply can be found here. Applications close on 6th March 2020.
The programme teaches key skills to students from year 9-13 about philanthropy and the not-for-profit/purpose-lead sector. It is free to participate, is after school and has a twenty-week curriculum.
YPNZ founded the programme in the belief that young people should have a chance to make a difference in their community. They do this by forming a board and are taught governance, marketing, public relations, etc over the course of around 20 weeks. The students are exposed to CEOs/philanthropists and other business leaders who come as guest speakers.
A Youth Mentor facilitates the programme itself, leading the curriculum aspect of the week. Emphasis is placed on an equal teacher/student relationship and it’s the students who make the final decisions.
Helenea Horbbacher, GenGive graduate in 2019 said “What really makes the programme special is that it is entirely youth-based, meaning we run our meetings, make our own decisions, and are in charge of our own fundraising.”
In the 2019 Queenstown programme, the students raised and distributed $35,000.
“The overwhelmingly positive response from the graduates and the community around them has made us eager to share this experience with more people around New Zealand. Christchurch’s strong philanthropic community feels like it is the perfect place to start our expansion." said Chris Belmont, Partnerships Manager YPNZ.
The Christchurch programme is being supported by Brannigans and Jarden, who are covering all the costs.
“We immediately resonated with this programme – the idea of growing young leadership in non-profits in Christchurch aligns perfectly with our aim to bring innovative leadership to the city.” Sally Wynn-Williams, Brannigans Partner.
“Every day is an opportunity to improve so we are always trying to be better tomorrow than we were today. We want to invest in the future of this city and that means teaching bright young people how to make real philanthropic change.” Johnny Cochrane, Jarden Director.