Placing trust in the hands of young Quad Citizens
Donors are able to make donations to support the Teens for Tomorrow Program. “When you donate to a youth philanthropy program, you make a double impact,” Dawson said. “You are investing in young leaders, and you are supporting great causes in the Quad Cities.”
To make a donation or grow the endowed fund that makes the program and grants possible, give online here or contact Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives, to learn more.
“It was definitely a little weird this year,” Wini Aboyure admitted from her home in Davenport. The Central High School senior has been home all day, taking classes via Zoom.
She’s actually a pro at Zoom now—like most, from kindergartners to grandparents, are these days. Still, meeting the other teenagers participating in the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s 2020/21 Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) cohort earlier this fall was pretty different than last year. Aboyure participated in the 2019/20 cohort as well.
“Last year, I walked into the room knowing only one person—a friend of mine from Central. When you’re all in the same room together, you get to have one-on-one conversations with all of these new people. This year, it was so different. We made it work, but it did take a little getting used to.
T4T is the Community Foundation’s youth philanthropy program, which brings together teenagers from Rock Island and Scott Counties. Each year, T4T awards a total of $10,000 to nonprofits meeting a variety of needs in the Quad Cities.
“We’ve had to rethink how we provide a space online for each teenager to be heard,” said Isabel Dawson, a recent graduate of Augustana College who has served as a mentor to the students for the past few years. “The technology is actually really wonderful because we’re able to set some ground rules and use the chat feature so that even students who might typically be shy can speak up.”
This year’s program has been retooled slightly for the age of COVID-19, with a new workbook for students to use, small group discussions online, and “plugs” that invite participants to share what they’re involved in and how other T4T members can support them.
What hasn’t changed, both Aboyure and Dawson said, is the focus on philanthropy. “It is such a powerful thing when you tell a young person that you trust them to make decisions about where grant dollars will go,” Dawson said. “The heart and structure of T4T is still the same, we’re just delivering it differently.”
Over the next few months, teens in the program will identify and research issues that are important to them, and the broader Quad Cities region. After three to four issue areas are identified, they will develop a grant program and invite area nonprofits to apply for a Teens for Tomorrow grant. The teenagers will review the applications, schedule interviews with the nonprofits, and ultimately make recommendations to the Community Foundation’s board of directors on who to grant to.
“Last year was so exciting,” Aboyure said. “We got to learn so much, and experience what it was like to directly address issues that matter most to us.”
“Philanthropy is all about contributing to the good of the community, with whatever resources you have. My generation is a generation of empathy—and Teens for Tomorrow gives us an opportunity to practice that.”
“We’re building leaders in the Quad Cities through this program,” Dawson added. “As a mentor, I’ve seen these kids go out and live extravagant, beautiful lives that are rooted in giving. The impact is long-term.”
Wini Aboyure.
Isabel Dawson.
Donors are able to make donations to support the Teens for Tomorrow Program. “When you donate to a youth philanthropy program, you make a double impact,” Dawson said. “You are investing in young leaders, and you are supporting great causes in the Quad Cities.”
To make a donation or grow the endowed fund that makes the program and grants possible, give online here or contact Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives, to learn more.