As summer comes to a close, we bet you are all wondering what new adventures are in store. No doubt you've picked out your "first-day-of-school-outfit" and purchased new notebooks and writing utensils for the year ahead. You've said "goodbye" to camp friends, traded your flip-flops for sturdier shoes and soaked up the last bit of sun before summer vacation ends. A new chapter in your life begins.
The same goes for me (Catherine) and Lea. When we started working with YAC last August, we didn't know what to expect. We've had a lot of ups and downs, but we could not be happier about the great things the Arkansas YAC chapters have accomplished. Now we are wrapping up our year as VISTA workers and heading out to find our places in the world. We would like to say "thank you" to each one of you (YAC members AND advisors) for making this year special for us. We hope that the YAC program will soar to even greater heights this coming year! We have no doubt in our minds that great things will come from all of you and we can't wait to hear about what a difference YAC has made in Arkansas.
Keep up the YAC spirit,
Catherine and Lea
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Getting Creative with Awareness
Sometimes in philanthropy or
awareness campaigns you have to think outside of the box (or in this case,
outside of the t-shirt). Teens spent a
whole day hanging t-shirts on a clothesline in front of a local business in
their town to bring awareness to deaths caused by smoking. Talk about visual impact!
Wouldn't it be cool to do something like this
in your community?
- Pick an issue you're passionate about in order to harness your creative energy.
- Simple is the way to go. Make sure you can explain your cause in two sentences or less.
- Don't do anything alone! Get your friends/family AND your community involved.
- Work within your financial limits (if you can't afford something, as for donations OR think of another way to spread your message.
- Get creative with everyday objects. Place old toys in front of community buildings to bring awareness to child abuse; tape empty water bottles to a store window (with the store's permission, of course) to encourage people to recycle.
- Create a tagline to explain your cause. For example: Beside a store window taped with many water bottles, post a sign that says “Imagine if you had to carry all the bottles you threw away with you while you were shopping. Recycle!”
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Summertime Philanthropy (contd)
Thirsty for more ideas on how to
serve your community this summer? No
worries. Like your favorite sunscreen,
we’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of
simple ways to give back (and rack up community service hours while you're at it):
- Find a community garden near
you and offer to de-weed or plant new seeds (be sure to take a floppy hat to
protect your face and head from the sun!)
- Round up a few of your fellow
YAC members to distribute fans to those at ballgames
- Gather small bottles of soap,
shampoo and other personal hygiene products to donate to local jails or
homeless shelters
- Volunteer at your local food
bank by restocking shelves or delivering nonperishable items
- Write “thinking of you” letters to a nursing
home (make sure you call to get a headcount of all the residents so you have
enough cards)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
30 days of Creative Philanthropy
Are you stuck in a summertime
haze with nothing to do? Look for
creative ways to philanthrop-ize your life!
Try a 30 day philanthropy challenge and find new ways to give back. Look online or in the news for local volunteer information and get to it!
A 30 day challenge seems pretty self
explanatory, but here are a few guidelines:
- Try to do something every day for
more than 20 minutes (We know that task seems a little daunting, but that’s why
it’s called a “challenge!”)
- What you do should be something philanthropic (a.k.a. something that helps your
community, like picking up trash or stocking shelves at your local food bank)
- Bring a friend! Time goes by faster when you’re with someone.
- Bring a friend! Time goes by faster when you’re with someone.
Tips to get you started:
- Identify goals (what do you hope to accomplish for your community in the next 30 days?)
- Schedule activities the week before so you never have to scramble for ideas
- Pick an area to focus on throughout the 30 day challenge (do you want to help animals, the environment or children? Or do you want to focus on multiple areas of giving?)
- Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day! You’re giving back to your community and that’s all that matters.
Resources and examples:
Creative Microphilanthropy 30 day challenge
http://www.good.is/post/the-good-30-day-challenge-creative-microphilanthropy
Creative Microphilanthropy 30 day challenge
http://www.good.is/post/the-good-30-day-challenge-creative-microphilanthropy
http://www.good.is/post/the-good-30-day-challenge-become-a-good-citizen
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Summertime Philanthropy
We know a fair few of you will be completely bogged down by your summer commitments
in the coming months. However, if you
find yourself in a rut, wishing you had inspiration to do something for your
community (or just wishing you had something to do, period), visit our
blog. We’ll have summertime philanthropy
challenges and activities for you to immerse yourself in between the trips to
the beach.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Sexual Assault: we don’t like to talk about it and we most likely cringe when someone brings it up. We need to start a conversation about it, though, because it affects more people than we think. Sexual Assault is any sexual act committed against your will or without your consent. Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault: it can happen to men and women of all ages and races. (http://www.dayoneny.org/dayone/get_informed/saam_2012/?gclid=CL38wvjK0K8CFS7DtgodWmlNdg)
A few ways to raise awareness
about sexual assault:
talk about it with your friends/peers
contact local women/children shelters to ask if they have resources/info about sexual assault prevention
ask local schools if they have programs/information for students regarding sexual assault prevention
find different ways your community supports victims of sexual assault
talk about it with your friends/peers
contact local women/children shelters to ask if they have resources/info about sexual assault prevention
ask local schools if they have programs/information for students regarding sexual assault prevention
find different ways your community supports victims of sexual assault
http://www.sapr.mil/index.php/saam
http://www.dayoneny.org/dayone/get_informed/saam_2012/?gclid=CL38wvjK0K8CFS7DtgodWmlNdg
http://www.nsvrc.org/
http://www.malesurvivor.org/myths.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/svab/myths.shtml
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Going Green: Earth Day [April 22]
It’s time to break out your shovels, scatter some seeds and reap what you sew for this year’s Earth Day. Many cities hold events on or around April 22 in honor of Mother Nature. This is a great opportunity to teach youth in your community how to keep our planet green. Hold a recycling challenge at your school. Have people sign a pledge to reduce their use of electricity for at least an hour a day. Plant a tree with your friends or find an event close to you to volunteer for.
We made it easy for you!
[Events by city]
[Other events]
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