Venture Field: Youth Volunteer Service

Year of Venture Launch: 2006

Name: Greyson

Role in the Venture: Founder and President

Venture Description: www.studentvolunteerlink.com (SVL) is a student led non- profit website dedicated to connecting student volunteers and non-profit communities in Connecticut. SVL services are free of charge so that every school, student and organization can benefit from our resources. Students register and access volunteer information connecting them to organizations that need help, scholarship information, awards and help logging hours. Organizations can post opportunities reaching hundred of interested students. Schools, school clubs and teachers are able to register and create web pages providing students with service/learning info.

Venture Origin: With hundreds of community organizations needing volunteers and peers/youth/students looking for meaningful opportunities, there was no single local resource to refer to. I decided to combine my interests of volunteering and technology to create a website network or A clearinghouse for students and the community to access.

Innovation: SVL is a local website network that is a grassroots initiative identifying specific community needs and connecting students. Students and schools can easily access volunteer information helping them to connect to the community thereby increasing youth volunteerism. Organizations are able to post their volunteer needs and recruit students to help them with their missions.

Impact

Impact: Studentvolunteerlink.com registered over 150 students on the website to search for volunteer opportunities, log hours and research scholarships. Over 120 organizations have posted volunteer opportunities specifically for students and 3 local High Schools and middle schools have posted community service requirements. The SVL website has recruited 5 Student managers and 20 volunteers who gain the benefit of real life experiences.

Engagement with the community: SVL recruited Student managers to create press packets sent to 500 organizations, make presentations to 25 non- profits and 6 schools and secured in-kind donations from 13 local businesses including office supplies, computers (TDG Inc.) and free internet services (Pioneeris.net). The Sound newspaper is publishing a series of articles highlighting youth community service projects.

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Since September 2006, SVL progressed toward its mission to increase youth volunteerism. We created an online newsletter, added teacher and school club pages, highlighted community service projects, helped students log hours and created 5 SVL awards for outstanding student volunteers. Local high schools are promoting SVL through their Advisory Councils to enlist student registration and non-profits are recruiting youth volunteers to take on leadership roles.

Impact and engagement strategy: SVL's Wiffle Ball Tournament will educate the community about its resources and bring together business sponsors, non-profits and younger youth who will learn about volunteering in a fun and interesting way. We will expand by offering free web template sites that are easy and customizable. Students will be able to create their own community service projects by building Student Volunteer LINK sites that can serve the individual needs of their schools and community.

Awards: GameStop Grant Award from DoSomething.org; PRUDENTIAL Spirit of Community Award 2006; Person of the Week , Jan. 2007 The Sound Newspaper

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $1,000

Money raised: DoSomething Game Stop Grant $500 Matching grant and in-kind donation from local businesses- $1,200 Student membership donations-$1,150 Website banner sponsors-$1,500

Creative ways of raising resources: SVL secured free internet services provided by Pioneeris.net and free legal services from a law firm, Website banners sold to local business sponsors, solicited a national business to provide lap tops for student manager presentations to the community and local businesses to match grants, Businesses sponsor T-shirts for Wiffle Ball Tournament.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: SVL's 6th month goals include, making presentations to local Boards of Education, sending 500 additional press packets, planning the Wiffle Ball Tournament Fundraiser and sponsoring a series of newspaper articles highlighting youth projects.

Plans for sustaining the project: Because SVL is a non-profit website (with free internet services) with a supportive board of directors and application process for future student leaders, our organizations will evolve and grow with new ideas. Student, School and Organization on-line membership will grow with the help of younger founders. The N&GYSD event will help fund the website.

Vision for three years from now: www.studentvolunteerlink.com will be the future address for youth creating custom community service websites any where in the world. Students will gain new skills, make real contributions, and volunteer more of their time. Schools, school clubs and teachers will be able to provide students with a resource to learn from and serve their communities. Teens will be instrumental in improving the quality of the services and raise awareness of community organizations.

Project impact: Students benefit by registering with studentvolunteerlink.com and accessing volunteer information that connects them to local, national and global organizations that need help. SVL has taken an active role in ensuring the success of student volunteers by logging volunteer hours, providing scholarship resources and conducting surveys. Also, student volunteers will be recognized with volunteer awards and celebrated for their time, talent and knowledge to better the community. The Student Led Initiatives link has highlighted student community service projects and helped them recruit support from other students and the community and helped them to gain exposure with local media. Also, community organizations have found a way to reach youth and benefit from their ideas and enthusiasm. SVL has helped local schools present volunteer information for their students, school clubs are able to reach many more students with their missions, and teachers are able to register and create their own pages connecting and providing students with community service and service learning information. Additionally, SVL has helped connect schools with other service-oriented groups and develop and improved community service programs at their schools. Because the website is accessible to the public, hundreds of students, organizations and schools across Connecticut can potentially network with one another creating a future generation of philanthropists. SVL hopes to be the ultimate network and free resource for Connecticut middle and high school students to get involved in their community.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: While developing studentvolunteerlink.com, I didn't realize that my efforts could impact so many people and that I was becoming a part of a movement; after all, I was just doing what interested me. As I shared my idea, I gained support. My enthusiasm for technology and volunteering was developing into a resource to benefit my community. I met inspiring adults and teens that share the same interests and a desire for youth to be recognized as resources. I was able to gain support from Youth Venture and listen to other Youth Venturers explain their ideas and realized that students my age were also like-minded social entrepreneurs. When I met with a local business owner of an Internet Service Company, he offered free services and was excited to work with me, to make sure that SVL is a success. Also, when I approached a student about an SVL leadership role, he knew that it would be a lot of work but he saw his potential and that he would be challenged. If youth have a passion for their ideas, no matter how big or small, others will be inspired by their excitement and will offer their help to make it realized. The SVL team will promote the Youth Venture movement by creating a link to websites that offer volunteer information and enlist the help of more adults to mentor youth. By creating a blog, we can share our Youth Venture experiences and offer support to students to create their own ventures

Author:
Greyson
United States
Website: www.studentvolunteerlink.com