Venture Description: We motivate kids into acting for others through exciting programs, eg kids who save even $1/mo, can use their PhiCoins (PHI-lanthropy COINS) to win auctions to talk with celebrities. The $1 also enables them to save 20 children from blindness. We hope such an experience will create social responsibility in the youth by illustrating the immense difference small actions can make. Our interactive Internet portal is carefully designed specifically for this task. Kids can select from a variety of causes to donate to- health, education, etc. from over 19 countries worldwide.

Venture Origin: In 2003, Gautam was inspired by the book ‘Free the Children’ by Keilburger. Ideas about PhiCoins, celebrity-talk auctions, etc. gradually evolved with the struggle to make the site appealing to a typical teenager. Current website is our 3rd attempt! A web-centric effort was chosen to allow kids to participate along with their regular studies.

Innovation: Our innovations 1. PhiCoins- Philanthropic wealth: grows with action for others (contrast to personal wealth growing with action for self) 2. World's only org that secures 5-10 min of talk time with celebrities, which is then auctioned using PhiCoins 3. Enable a huge impact with even $1. Eg- A 5¢ Vitamin-A capsule per year can prevent a malnourished child from blindness. $1 can save 20 children

Impact

Impact: We are a new organization (incorporated in 2006) and have spent considerable time building an innovative website. Recently, we sent letters to the top 500 US high schools requesting them to publicize YTA among students to encourage positive action for society. We have also sent 88 letters to celebrities worldwide requesting their support. To raise money for our website, we have held small fundraisers like handicraft and bake sales, raffles, etc.

Engagement with the community: Having just started out, we are slowly beginning to involve people. In the near future, we will publicize YTA by sending press releases to many newspapers. At present, we are partners with with Mags4Cheap.com, Charity Focus (charityfocus.org), Give World (giveworld.org).

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Although it is premature to gauge our impact on the world, the biggest growth we have seen is within ourselves. We have learned (the hard way) how to focus, persevere, and eventually succeed in what may appear to be an uphill task.

Impact and engagement strategy: For getting members into the Birthday Club, we will build partnerships with places that host kid's birthdays, e.g. Chuckee Cheese, Pizza Huts, etc. Youth are also encouraged to spread the word in their network and are rewarded PhiCoins when they do. We also intend to add newer innovative clubs along with enhancing the functionality and ease of use of current website.

Awards: 1. Youth Venture Award 2. In the process of applying for 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption status

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $1000

Money raised: After receiving the YV grant in August 2006, the core members have already raised an additional $450. The money came from family/personal contributions, bake sales, and other fundraisers.

Creative ways of raising resources: Earning PhiCoins is a creative way to reward participant donations. PhiCoins allow users to buy merchandise or bid on celebrities-talks. We hope this acts as an incentive for members to continue participating. A 501(c)(3) status will further assist us to increase our reach in grants and donations.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: We will contact companies and hope that corporate social responsibility awareness will generate membership and donations. We intend to make presentations in schools, churches and community centers. Our goal is to have 1500 members in the next 6 mo.

Plans for sustaining the project: 1. Non-discriminating bylaws that allow even a newcomer to rise to the top with hard work. 2. Inviting members that show initiative, leadership and good sense to join YTA's management. 3. Learning to program our own website so adding new features, fixing bugs, etc. becomes rapid and cost-free.

Vision for three years from now: Today’s youth are tomorrow’s world leaders. We aim to get more young people to recognize the disparities in the world that create hunger, disease, discontent, terrorism and wars. Their involvement now will increase their self confidence to change the future of the world in a positive way. We hope youth will join us regardless of man-made borders and provide inspiration for everyone.

Project impact: The world today has ever more incidence of wars, terrorism, destruction and crime of every type. We, the youth must imbibe values that will put an end to the greed, unfairness and apathy that often leads to the above world condition. This quality of thinking and acting for others along with one’s self is what YTA aims at inculcating in the young generation. With programs that require participation only through the Internet, we hope to attract children regardless of geographical borders. Ours is a humble beginning and at present, we have managed to impress our teachers, parents and friends who have seen our effort. We have tried to make activities in our programs nearly effortless for participating kids and parents. For example, in our Birthday Club, the birthday person has only to decide the number (say 'x', which could even be 1) of gifts he/she wants to forego, whereupon the website generates a unique code number and mails instructions to the invitees to logon to YTA website to "give" their gift. The first 'x' guests who donate the cash equivalent of the gifts they were intending to buy, automatically close the donation portal. Both the guest and the birthday person are felicitated to make them feel special. The process allows the birthday person to enjoy his/her special day and make a large impact of perhaps sending a child to school for 6 months, or saving a malnourished child from dying. Our other program Share and Care Club encourages participants to save as little as a dollar every month and use that to make an impact such as saving several children from going blind. The self confidence boosted by such will impact the participants’ life in all spheres. The concept of PhiCoins was introduced to give a sense of achievement to kids through accumulation of 'philanthropic wealth'. PhiCoins not only be used to buy merchandize and bid for auctions, but it can also be given online to friends like regular money.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: To be able to associate and work together in youth teams around the world is an exhilarating feeling! Perhaps one to two generations ago, youth could not do much due to their large dependence on their parents and lack of enabling technology. With ventures started by youth and motivation provided by programs like Youth Venture, we feel a greater sense of freedom, achievement and empowerment. Youth Venture will automatically get promoted and publicized as more and more children see the success of youth organizations started by the youth and supported by organizations like Youth Venture and Change Makers. Our website lists the invaluable support we have received from Youth Venture. This is likely to make other youth organizations feel that they too can find support if need be and can make their ventures a success.

Author:
Gautam
United States
Website: http://www.youthtakingaction.org