The future of philanthropy is in the hands of young people. And, a few dozen of them gathered in October at what used to be Springfield’s Black high school – Lincoln Hall on the campus of Ozarks Technical Community College.
They were there to attend the Youth Empowerment Project (or YEP) Conference hosted by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
Rachel Tripp, who coordinates the Youth Empowerment Project for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, said they try to hold the conference every year – but they had to take a break during the pandemic.
What is YEP?
The CFO launched YEP in southwest Missouri in 2001.
“The Youth Empowerment Project -- it pretty much teaches middle and high school students about philanthropy," said Tripp. "We do that through volunteerism, through teaching about grant making and getting involved in their community.”
At one point, there were up to 30 active chapters, Tripp says. That number has dwindled to between 10 and 15, but she is working to bring those numbers up.
YEP Aurora
A very active YEP chapter is located in Aurora, Missouri. That’s where teacher and YEP co-advisor Kim McCully-Mobley gets students involved in preserving the town’s history. The chapter is responsible for several community projects in Aurora, including stones in a veteran’s garden it created honoring two World War I veterans with ties to the town and three murals, two of which are downtown.
“People have been doing incredible things in southwest Missouri for a long time, and not only do we want to be visionaries and servant leaders, we want to preserve the past, preserve, protect and promote those stories and then make stories of our own,” she said.
Ms. Mobley, as her students call her, brought around 30 kids to the YEP conference.
19-year-old Mayor Jaylen Lewis
There to inspire them and students from other schools, including Gainesville, Greenwood, Summit Prep, Missouri State University and Ozarks Technical Community College, was keynote speakerJaylen Smith, the 19-year-old mayor of Earle, Arkansas who was elected not too long after he graduated high school.
Smith said he decided to run for office because he was tired of seeing people graduate and leaving to “be great somewhere else.”
“And I felt like that I can be great right in my small town just like you can be great in a bigger city,” he said.
Earle, which has a majority Black population, is home to around 2,000 people.
Since Smith has been in office, he’s managed to bring another grocery store to the town, which is surrounded by agricultural land. The DG Market is currently being built. And he’s brought housing to Earle – a 500-unit apartment building will soon be under construction. He said he did that by reaching out for help from others, including the state legislature, industry and the federal government. His goal is to bring jobs back to Earle.
Smith’s message for the young people who attended the conference was this:
“You can make a difference – at any age you can make a difference," he said. "You know, I believe it so much that you can write the vision, make a plan, regardless of what age you are – you can make a difference. Don’t allow what anyone tells you to define you because you don’t know how good you are unless you try.”
Jasmine Buchholz, a junior at Aurora High School involved in YEP at her school, said Smith inspired her.
“Showing that ‘no matter what your age you are, you can still do good’ was a very great message to send out,” Buchholz said.
She’s involved in several clubs and organizations at school and said she wants to make a difference in Aurora.
“I can just see a lot of potential in our community," she said, "and I want to fix that or, like, do more.”
Aurora exchange student Valentino Rowsi from Naples, Italy was also inspired by Smith's speech and his emphasis on the importance of networking.
"I think that, like, getting in contact with people, by getting their contact and by...just throwing yourself in stuff, you're going to, like, get stronger and you're going to benefit from those things," he said.
Panel discussion allowed for variety of viewpoints on philanthropy
The day included a panel discussion, which featured people making a difference in southwest Missouri: Springfield City Councilman Brandon Jenson, OTC’s Director of Global Engagement and Opportunity Daniel Ogunyemi, Aurora Teacher McCully-Mobley and Brandy Harris, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield.
Harris, who said she struggled to realize she was good enough when she took the top job at the nonprofit at age 32, had two key messages for young people:
“The first is to get a therapist and to prioritize their mental health…this generation’s going to change the game for mental health, and I just want to remind them that there’s no, like, recipe or ingredient that you need to possess in order to feel validated, heard, understood and important, and you need people like that in your life, so I encourage that first," she said. "And the second is just to, like, remember your why because the work that they’re going to do and how they’re going to change the world – there’s going to be a lot of voices that talk to them poorly and point out their flaws or tell them that they’re not good enough or they’re too this or too that. Just – yeah – just remind yourself of your why and why you’re doing the heavy lifting because it can be exhausting but then it can also be, like, remarkably rewarding.”
You don't have to be wealthy to make a difference
One important message that was repeated over and over by different speakers was that you don’t have to have a lot of money to make a difference.
“One of the most important things about philanthropy is understanding that you don’t have to be wealthy, and you don’t have to be old to be a philanthropist," said Bridget Dierks, vice-president of programs for CFO. "So, getting engaged with teenagers and talking to them about their engagement in the community and their impact on the community – that’s an incredibly impactful conversation.”
One student who seems to have already gotten that message is Aurora junior Castle Spieker.
“I’m involved in the Youth Empowerment Project because I just want to be involved in my community," he said. "I go to many chamber events throughout town here in Aurora. I just volunteered at our annual car show that we have every year. I also went to the Houn Dawg Pageant as well. It’s just – you meet a lot of people in your community just by participating in these events, and it’s a great opportunity. Everyone should be involved."
Another Aurora student involved in YEP is senior McKenna Bradley. She said there are a lot of things they can do in her town, and being in YEP allows her to be involved.
"You have a lot of opportunities to volunteer with, like, the community and just make a big difference," she said, "so, that's why I'm involved."
Grace Pinkley attends Summit Preparatory School and said she attended the YEP conference after someone noticed that she was doing "ambitious things" and advised her to sign up.
"I have started an ag club at my school," she said. "I am part of the Springfield Community Gardens...they have a bunch of just community gardens, and I'm part of a couple of those. I manage my school's garden — our landscape."
To remind students of the importance of mental health as they work to make a difference in their communities, the conference wrapped up with a session on mental health by Be Well at Burrell Behavioral Health.