Learning Philanthropy -- Lessons from GPS 2016

By: Aarthi
Aarthi particpated in Allowance for Good's 2016 Global Philanthropy Summit in June. 

This was my first time learning and working with an organization like Allowance for Good. The Global Philanthropy Summit (GPS) was a memorable experience. It was just amazing! I met so many new people, learned about different businesses, and about how those businesses incorporate philanthropy in their work. When I first heard of philanthropy, I just thought it was helping people and volunteering. However, philanthropy is so much more involved. Philanthropy is the ways we use our time, ties, treasure, and talent to support and be involved in local and global issues. The one week camp gave me a clearer insight on how much I can do to help a society, group, or individual on a long-term basis. So many people volunteer, but it truly makes a difference if they stick with that one charity for five, ten, or more years. It shows commitment and true love for helping others.

A group of students brainstorm as they work on their final presentations

During the first day at GPS, I was so surprised with the first presenter, Spark Ventures. I was surprised in a good way because I never knew that people like Arnold create businesses solely to help a community. I have heard of FMSC and other organizations, but not one where people can actually interact with the people they are helping. The moment I heard about this, I took note to ask my family if we can go on a trip with Spark Ventures. That is the effect GPS had on me. It made me get up and actually want to do something. It was so convincing and cool to travel to help others. I felt like I actually had the power and resources to help someone on my own that is out of my reach. That feeling was truly unbelievable.

On the last day of camp, we heard from an organization called VING. VING makes $1,000 grants to teens who want to give the money to a person they know is in need of the money. They submit a video of themselves talking about the person in need and why they deserve a VING. This grant would be truly life changing for someone. It would give them a confidence boost and allow them to support themselves (or their family). When I got home, I started working on a VING right away. I thought it was an amazing opportunity that I as a teenager could help someone I know. Most teenagers don’t have the power or resources to do this, but I did with VING. I was so thrilled to submit my video and be able to help someone. I felt like I was really going to make a difference in someone else’s life and that feeling was great.

This is all what philanthropy is about. GPS allowed me to be a philanthropist. I would really like to thank them for this opportunity and giving me so many ideas to help others.

One goal I had going into GPS was to become more knowledgeable on what I can do in the future to help with charity and volunteering. I achieved that goal when I learned about Spark Ventures, business philanthropy, and non profit foundations. There are so many opportunities for me and you to help people locally and internationally. We all just have to take up those opportunities or start new ones.

My big takeaway from GPS is that everyone should think about helping others. Even if someone isn’t in a position to help someone else, they can at least think about ideas to help others in need. Every little action a person does can make a big impact on the world. If every person (who is in the position to volunteer) does just one hour of service, we would have over a million hours of service! Every hour counts and everyone’s time counts. I would recommend GPS to everyone who loves philanthropy, has a business mind, or wants to learn more about charity, philanthropy, and different types of foundations and businesses. Thank you again GPS! I was on cloud 9 with my experience!

Soles for Kids: AfG Youth Giving Back

Children living in poverty lack many of life's most basic necessities, including a good pair of shoes. Three Allowance for Good youth chose to tackle this issue and give more children across the world the comfort of a good pair of shoes.

Charlie, Danny, and Tim participated in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

After their participation in the ELP program, Charlie, Danny, and Tim decided to start their own project - a shoe drive for Soles for Kids. Soles for Kids is an incredible charity that collects used, not abused, shoes and soccer balls to distribute to children worldwide. They have distributed shoes to children in need in Africa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

The three AfG youth organized a shoe donation drive at York High School during a basketball game, where they collected 72 pairs of shoes. They also raised $75 to put towards shipping costs.

All the shoes they collected were given to Soles for Kids and sent to children in Tanzania. These young men acted as agents of change in their community, and their efforts will have significant effects far from their homes. Allowance for Good is proud to see them serving as global citizens and making a difference in the lives of many children.

If interested in running your own shoe drive, you can find more information about donating to Soles for Kids here.

Opening a window of possibilities: USA experience of a Ukrainian fellow

By: Taras Repytskyi

Taras came to Allowance for Good from Ukraine as part of the US State Department's Professional Fellow Program. He spent 6 weeks as a fellow at Allowance for Good.


"Congratulations you have been chosen as a finalist of the Professional Fellows Program and you will be spending 6 weeks in the USA working at a NGO". A summary of the message I received on a cold winter day, which gave me even bigger goose bumps, as I knew that tremendous possibility awaits, which will broaden my horizon and open new opportunities.

Since quite a young age, I was convinced that traveling and understanding different attitudes of people is a very welcoming feature especially if you work for the sake of the community and development. I visited a lot of countries in Europe in order to see the approaches, interesting ideas and gather new knowledge, so I can build a greater society in my Ukraine.

Taras, Elizabeth, and Karin at the office on
International Vyshyvanka Day. 

Upon arriving here, in Washington and later Chicago and Evanston, my first feeling was, "I am in a movie." I was curious to explore each day and each second, as a lot of things indeed were different or at least as they are not usually done or made in Europe.

The first and major discovery to me was the community and civil society here. There is a huge amount of organizations and people who know a lot about charity and philanthropy and usually support different events by volunteering or donating money. It all starts with proper education and right attitude at early age throughout life. Through Allowance for Good, I was able to attend classes at Niles North High School, Northwestern University, and Loyola University to discover exciting curricula about civic engagement and community development. I made a few presentations on the political situation in Europe and Ukraine in particular. The high school students were really eager to get to know some of the aspects of social, educational, and political life there. To some of them it was a true revelation to learn about the situation in Crimea and war on the east of Ukraine.

I met bright people who are so willing to enhance their level of knowledge in these spheres. In Ukraine we seriously lack such programs and strategies for the society, and ideas written in my notebook will help me to make some of them real.

Another issue in Ukraine is that we have quite a different environment and recent history. People of Ukraine, because of living under a soviet regime which worshiped state or ruling party rather than people and communities, shaped the attitude of people towards common goals and better well-being. Now, after recent revolutions and uprisings of the nation, we can build upon that as we became much stronger, united, and passionate about social change.

My knowledge benefited a lot from the work with the incredible team of my host organization, Allowance for Good – Elizabeth, Aimee and Karin, who helped me to look upon issues of NGO work and youth programs from a different perspective and approach, which can definitely bring more results for the community. Job shadowing them was a real pleasure and I hope my fellowship will create new possibilities for them as well. For that, we started working on mutual grant proposals, so in the future our cooperation can grow stronger and our activities even more international. The first project is scheduled to be implemented this fall and will be concentrating on empowering youth from Lviv and Sykhiv districts with knowledge on social responsibility and community building. Kids will also have a chance to create and realize a social project of their interest, as well as a chance to work on identity building of their school.

My stay in the USA wouldn’t be the same if I wasn’t also lucky enough to be hosted by the Cernek family to explore the lifestyle of American households and daily life. There a lot of things about culture and cuisine I will be taking home with me, such as pancakes on weekends ☺

I would like to thank American Councils, WorldChicago, and especially Allowance for Good for an amazing opportunity to get a first-hand experience for future work I can bring to my community.

That’s would be all for now. I don’t say good-bye – I say welcome to new possibilities and Ukraine is awaiting each American to visit.

A Lesson in Corporate Philanthropy

By: Therese

Therese participated in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.



"I am a Catalyst for Good because...
I believe all people have the right to
be educated no matter what
the situation." - Therese

Corporate philanthropy is when a business helps others in need by donations or by spending time. I learned that companies can cause a positive change because they can help others, encourage other companies and consumers to help others that are in need. In addition, corporate philanthropy can help a community to become involved in a cause by using their products or bringing the company together by physically helping out others. In addition, being a corporate sponsor provides a positive image for the company itself, which leads to more sales and tax benefits. When I am in the working world, I would make sure that the company (or my company) would donate or support an organization and do physical work to help out those who need help. Overall, corporate philanthropy is important because it gets large companies to help out smaller originations and others that need donations and action.



Striving towards an Education for All

By: Luke

Luke is participating in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

"I am a Catalyst for Good
because...all people have
the right to food and
education." - Luke

My name is Luke and I’m in Allowance for Good program, I have learned what are the human rights and that they were developed by the United Nations. What struck me was that the United Nations had to develop the human rights because some countries didn’t provide basic needs for their people. There are kids in Africa that don’t have water and food. Another example is certain countries don’t educate their girls and there are extremist who bomb schools to prevent girls from going to school. The extremists don’t want girls to learn because they will learn how to make a stand against the radical ideas.

I’m passionate about my sports and fortunate to compete in baseball and lacrosse. I don’t have to worry about basic needs and my school being bombed. I want all kids to grow up not worrying about their next meal, having water and be able to walk to school without being afraid of being hurt.

Allowance for Good has inspired Matt and I to start a project for Nicaragua. The project will raise money for kids in the country that don’t have a proper education. Many of the children fail to reach the 6th grade and one third never have the chance to enroll in elementary school. If you are interesting in donating to this cause, you can email my mom at randarbarber@gmail.com.

A Small Amount, A Big Impact

By: Blair

Blair is participating in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

I learned this week in our financial literacy lesson that the extra money we spend on eating out, buying toys, and living through our daily lives adds up to a lot of money. Money that goes a long way in other people’s lives across the world. I realized this week that most people who live comfortably in our world with little to no financial problems don’t know how much of an impact even a dollar can do. People all over the world live in so much poverty that even a dollar could help them get enough food for their family. If we as a society realize how much extra money we spend on items we don’t even need and instead donate them to these hungry and starving kids, the impact would probably be as big as having almost every kid in poverty go to bed every night with a full belly. I encourage every person in the world to stop and think about if you really need this pointless item you are about to buy, and the impact it would have on others if you donated the money to charity instead of buying the item.  

"I am a catalyst for good
because...I will improve the
basic education around
the world" - Blair

ELP Elmhurst class brainstorming.

ELP Elmhurst class teacher 
Jeanne leads discussion.

Lessons in Philanthropy: Types of Foundations

By: Nathaniel

Nathaniel is a participant in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Evanston location.

The ELP Evanston class sharing why they are Catalysts for Good.

My name is Nathaniel in the AfG Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy, and I will talk to you to say about community foundations. Foundations are non profits. A non profit is a establishment not for profit. There are many foundations such community foundation which I will be covering today, corporate foundation, family foundation, independent foundation, operating foundation, and a private foundation.

"I am a Catalyst for Good because...
I will save endangered puppies and animals."
- Nathaniel

A community foundation is a organization that helps a certain community or a religion. Money is taken from endowments and uses to make grants that will sever the community. I was surprised that the Bill and the Melinda Gates wasn't a family foundation but instead a private foundation because the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non governmental, non profit dedicated to help people and making scholarships and grants to people and companies that will help/change  the world. The activity  taught me the grant making process how people applied for grants and how companies divides and then decides to pay the full grant or pay for a part of the grant or veto the grant entirely. Evanston has a community foundation called The Evanston Community Foundation or ECF for short. Evanston can thrive by making grants to certain people or companies that are dedicated to Evanston and its people.These people and companies can sponsor activities that help the community by cleaning up the streets or doing a bake sale that the money is donated to Evanston. That money can be used to fixed the parks in Evanston, make sure that public spaces are a safe environment, clean up the neighborhoods around ETHS. There is a lot to do to help Evanston thrive, but it will happen and Evanston will remain to be a great suburb.

Making Everyone Feel Part of the Community

By: Matthew

Matthew Miller is an 8th grader at Sandburg Middle School. He is participating in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

I have volunteered at my local PADS shelter at my synagogue, Access Sports for 3 years, and a summer camp called Service Squad, which involved a different service project each day. I have also volunteered at Feed My Starving Children a number of times. 

ELP Elmhurst class led by Jeanne.

"I am a catalyst for good because...
all children have a right to
primary education." - Matt Miller

My passion is working/playing with children in our community that have disabilities. I feel it is somewhat our duty to make them feel like they are one of us. Access Sports (out of Elmhurst) gives these kids the opportunity to play, and the opportunity for those who want to help, to help. You can sign up for one sport over one season, and each week you choose a kid to work with. You start off by working on skills, and then at the end there is a game. I have done this for 3 years now, and I plan to do it for much longer. These kids love to play, and it makes them feel a part of the community. There is a kid in my grade with Down Syndrome, that some of my friends and I love to work with and play with. We would switch off in gym class to play with him, and the smile on his face makes all of our days. The feeling of making someone feel special or just happy can make you feel the same way. 

In the future, I plan on volunteering at a Special Ed class and helping out there for a while, and also help out as much as I can around my community. A cause that I support is that all the kids, with disabilities or not, should all feel like they are worth the same amount in their community.

Catalysts for Good: Raising Awareness

By: Madeleine

Maddie is a participant in Allowance for Good's Spring 2016 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Evanston location.

Through our discussions on human rights and the sustainability development goals, I was able to learn more about how the UN and other governmental bodies approach human rights abuses around the world. The sustainable development goals, created by the UN, were surprisingly optimistic and confident. However, I believe that these aspirations, although they are a significant step towards preventing and ending human rights abuses, need to provide further comprehensive steps in order to complete the goals they outline. Although they provide various statistics and goals surrounding the issue at hand, realistic preventative methods are needed to further their aspirations. I also thought it was very interesting and innovative how the UN develops new and improved goals as global problems change, and the world’s focus shifts.

ELP Evanston class focusing on a new lesson.

I am very passionate about refugee resettlement and outreach programs, specifically within Chicago. This year, I have been working with a friend at the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, an amazing non-profit that provides refugee resettlement resources, English classes, tutoring programs, and a multitude of other services to the refugee and immigrant population in Chicago. I have been able to raise awareness about this issue by connecting my classmates and peers with ECAC through the after-school program at the center, and giving presentations on the issues refugees in Chicago face to my teachers and classmates. I can continue to spread awareness on the refugee crisis by learning more about the assimilation process in school and through the center, as well as engage my community and friends with organizations like ECAC in the future. 

ELP Evanston class in discussion.

For my Global Awareness Project, I want to focus on a different issue. Sofie and I are going to focus on hunger and accessibility to food, and have begun the process to gather and donate all leftover lunch food from our school’s cafeteria (that isn’t sold). The food will be donated to Breaking Bread Ministries, which holds soup kitchens every week, near our school. The food will be donated daily, after all lunch periods, and will help to support the church’s important efforts to lessen hunger within the Chicago area. 

Empowering Chicago Students: AfG's Collaboration with Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group

By: Isabelle Canaan

Isabelle has double duty as Chairman for Education and Co-chair on the Executive Board for the Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group. CYPG, a student organization at University of Chicago, was Allowance for Good's first Allow Good collaboration. They strive to "empower the community, one student at a time." In partnership with CYPG, we are teaching over 200 students on Chicago’s South Side at King College Prep High School and Kenwood Academy. CYPG has also acted as our working partner to develop an additional AfG chapter at Northwestern University. 

A black, lesbian, obese, bad feminist, Roxane Gay is the exemplary fighter.  Against the backdrop of Black Lives Matter, a feminist rebirth, and a re-examination of societal values, she, in a talk last fall, discussed allyship. An ally is not a passive role. You have to act, but must do so in a restrained manner, walking the fine line between being a spokesperson, but not THE spokesperson. You must actively fight for a cause without donning it. 

It is so easy now to pick up the banner of injustice, but without authenticity, sometimes when speaking for another you actually harden divisions. Every week, as part of the Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group (CYPG), I discuss current events with public high school juniors and seniors on Chicago’s Southside. Our goal is to give the students a safe space to champion issues and voice discontent. Yet, it would be disingenuous for me, someone who did not go through their experience, to stand in the spotlight or drown them out. As an ally, I have a responsibility to fight, but I should never forget that I am an accessory to their cause. 

My role is a mentor and a facilitator, but also a fellow student. We college students, we are often trapped in an academic and social bubble, viewing the city through the prism of our campus. CYPG has been my way to connect with the neighborhoods beyond the ivory tower and the echo chamber that is academia. My students offer a different, arguably “real-er” perspective. They do not have the luxury of stepping away into the library and forgetting about the discrimination, danger, and dysfunction that exists on the Southside. They confront these issues on a daily basis and it is exceptionally rewarding to see the classroom dynamic succeed. When a student can get up and share a personal anecdote about a time in their lives when they were directly confronted with one of the issues we discuss, the classroom atmosphere succeeds. A safe environment allows students to share openly, without fear of judgment. 

After creating a safe environment, the next most important role as a teacher is to push the students to remain hopeful and to really believe in their individual power to change. There are times when the students will sigh and say, “Nothing’s going to change”, but we must show them that they have the power to create change, no matter how small and no matter how gradual.

Allow Good: Engaging High School Students in Philanthropy

By: Rachel
Rachel is on the leadership team for Northwestern University's chapter of Allow Good. 

Allow Good teacher engages
students at the first class at YOU.

"Not only do millennials lack the kind of empathy that allows them to feel concerned for others, but they also have trouble even intellectually understanding others' points of view," reported Time magazine writer Joel Stein in 2013. In his article, Stein accused millennials of having the lowest generational dedication to civic engagement but the highest rates of narcissism as the so-called "Me, Me, Me Generation." However, I feel this increasingly popular narrow mindset mislabels individuals as self-absorbed when in actuality many are empathetic and engaged and those who are uninvolved in their community simply are not presented with adequate accessible volunteer opportunities. The issue of disengaged youth greatly motivated myself and a group of my Northwestern peers to work with Allowance for Good in producing a high school program teaching students about philanthropy through a civic engagement and social justice lens. We felt high schoolers deserved a chance to be treated as competent young-adults, educated about their local non-profits, and then given the resources and skills to responsibly give $1000 back to their community.

The idea for this curriculum stemmed from a spring course my project partner, Imani Wilson, and I took at Northwestern called the Philanthropy Lab. We spent the course learning about the history of philanthropy, how to evaluate non-profits, and meeting with potential grantees to receive a portion of our class grant of $100,000, which was sponsored through the Once Upon a Time Foundation (OUTF). We worked on the class's Child and Youth Development Team and in the end granted $20,000 to Girls in the Game (GiG), a local Chicago organization that encourages girls to use sports to improve self-esteem and reinforce healthy lifestyles. Once the class ended, OUTF encouraged students in our class to apply for their Changemakers Grant of $5,000 to sponsor any project that would educate students about philanthropy.

Rachel, at the Allow Good teacher training

Shortly after, we were put in contact with Allowance for Good and discussed our vision of an adaptation of our philanthropy lab class taught to high schoolers by Northwestern students. Soon after filling out paperwork, we received the $5,000 grant and quickly found two more NU students, Fannie and Matt, to join the project as credit for our Civic Engagement Certificate non-profit internship class. Fall quarter, we worked tirelessly to create a pilot program with 14 lesson plans lasting 45 minutes each including a detailed teacher's manual. Last week, we spent 6 hours training teachers in philanthropy education and classroom facilitation strategies. Now, I am happy to announce that our first day of classes will launch last week at Niles North High School and Evanston Township High School's after-school program called Y.O.U.

Reflecting on the past few months, I believe the best part of working on the project has been seeing the assets of my team come together. Fannie joined the team with expertise in philanthropy curriculum development. As a passionate social justice advocate on campus, Matt brought a wealth of knowledge on teaching students about current inequality issues. And, Imani's ability to pay close attention to detail and insistence on meeting deadlines helped our group stay on pace. With their contributions, the curriculum and camaraderie among group members has surpassed anything I originally imagined.

Looking to the future, I can't wait to see the impact of the curriculum on high school students. Once presented with the opportunity to learn and give back, I am confident that these students will rise to the occasion and erase any association with the so-called "Me, Me, Me Generation."

Beyond Money: Other Ways to Give

By: Andrew
Andrew is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

"I choose to be #UNselfie because...
helping others is better for the whole world."

I am using what I have learned from this class in several ways. First, I have my Awareness Project. Some of my friends and I are donating not money or that much time. Instead, we are donating our knowledge. We had our other friends come up with games for the kids at Las Tías in Nicaragua. The game had to be fun enough so kids would stay to play it after school but educational enough because it is a school-like program. We came up with board games for 4-5 year olds and some for older. We also made them the best we could, not just scribbling. We decided to go with making games and lessons for Las Tías because of the "Tías" came to visit our class from Nicaragua. Her name was Grezelda and her story inspired us to help her out. We also know that a small contribution can make a big difference. If we help the future, they can help themselves. I'm not saying our contribution will change Nicaragua, but it could help change a community, which we thought was really cool. And that community can fend for itself and develop more and become something special. I also found it great how not every person needs 1,000 dollars. Would they appreciate that? Yes, but not as much as a personal connection to the donor. I'm not quite sure how to describe it but it is more satisfying from the donor of time or money and more helpful for the receiver. I'm also trying to get people to think about going on AfG's mission trip this summer in Quito, Ecuador. It is a great way to see beautiful landscapes and start your career, so to speak, in philanthropy.

We also talked about global development. As we know, there are many countries still finding their legs. I feel that donating time, money, or goods to someone who in turn, can help a community, a town, or just a neighborhood in a developing area is the best way to get involved in philanthropy. One way we learned how to do this is microfinance. Microfinance is like winning the lottery, you pit a little in and get a lot out. Except not just you benefits. A place anyone who may read this can do that is Kiva. There, you can put $25 in and help get a business started. As I mentioned before, that business can support many things and help a community grow. And then, the business owners pay you back. So you can circulate your $25 and help hundreds of people or take it out and get your $25 back. Pretty nice isn't it.

Microfinance and Micro-entrepreneurs

By: Julia
Julia is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

"I am a Catalyst for Good because...
I can be the change I want to see in the world."

Micro finance is a form of philanthropy, that is also a bit like charity. Micro finance has to do with giving money to someone in need. That person is called a micro-entrepreneur. They may want to start a business or keep theirs running. Giving them this money will help boost them up. But, the interesting part about micro finance is that the entrepreneur pays you back. This creates a connection between you and this other person all the way across the world. You communicate to keep checking up on them, and once they pay you back, you can use that same amount of money to loan to someone else. It's a very self sustaining system. I really like micro finance for that reason.

I think this is a very good idea. It's self sustaining, and easy to give too. You don't need to give a large amount of money to make a huge impact. It also creates a connection between two people from different parts of the world. This helps create awareness and a sense of oneness. It impacts not only the person receiving the money, but the giver as well.

Since the money is paid back after the entrepreneur is able too, you can keep on giving that same donation. It also helps make it seem like the entrepreneur is a business partner, rather than a helpless victim. I believe this will help people not be so scared or feel so disconnected from people in need of financial aid. 

Lessons in Corporate Philanthropy

By: Tim
Tim is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location. 

"I am a catalyst for good because...
I want to improve the world"
Tim, at the ELP Elmhurst class.

Corporate philanthropy is the giving of profits or resources from a corporation to a charitable cause. When asked about philanthropy, most people think about cash.  However, facilities, services, and time are also considered types of philanthropy.

Certain employers offer matching gifts programs.  With matching gifts, a company will match an employee’s cash donation to an eligible nonprofit organization at some set ratio. With grants, the company provides a nonprofit with money to accomplish an agreed-upon purpose.  The company can also provide volunteer grants, in which the time of the corporation’s employees is also donated.

Reasons for corporate philanthropy could come from a commitment to the common good, a sense that the company is making a community investment, or even that it is a good marketing tool. Whatever the reason, research has shown that corporations with sound corporate philanthropy perform better than those without it. Emily taught me that corporations should have a social responsibility toward philanthropy.  She taught me that employees of a corporation play a significant role in corporate philanthropy.  Using matching gifts, employees can make a larger donation to their charity.

Employees can also donate their time and expertise, which can be as valuable as money. If a corporation doesn’t currently have a philanthropy program, the employee can be instrumental in providing rationale as to why corporate philanthropy is important and then assisting the company in setting one up. When I am in the working world, I can see myself becoming involved in philanthropy by providing donations of both time and money. I enjoy working with other people towards a common goal, and employing our unique abilities to accomplish it.

Free and Equal: Working towards Equal Human Rights for All

By: Danny

Danny is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location. 

"I am a Catalyst for Good because...
I want everyone to have a chance to follow their dreams"
Danny pictured at the ELP Elmhurst class.

During our discussion about human rights and the sustainable development goals, I was introduced to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was written by the United Nations. I realized that many countries do not have the same rights as we are so fortunate to have in the United States, despite the fact that everyone is entitled to the rights. I feel these human rights are important because everyone should have the opportunity to be independent, to make decisions for themselves, and yet in numerous regions across the world, only a few or a small group of these rights are followed, which calls for a need for change. I feel that the most important right is the first right, which is: We Are All Born Free & Equal. It explains the reasoning, stating, “We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.” I feel that treating people equally has been the one of the most prevalent issues over time, which ties into the second right, which states: Don’t Discriminate. Throughout history, many issues have been caused by people not being treated equally. While many bad things have emerged from discrimination, such as the Holocaust and slavery, there are a few good things that have come from this. The good things stream from activists who have stood up to ensure equality, which is actually the root of our country, as the colonists stood up to England after unequal treatment.

While Malala is passionate about the right of education for women, I am passionate about no unfair detainment. People have the right to move as they wish, and yet many countries do not allow their citizens to leave the country. Many people, for example in North Korea, are placed in labor camps for suspicion of being a rebel despite the fact that they have no direct evidence. This ties to the right to fair trial. I could raise awareness about this issue by exposing that North Korea and other countries have labor camps, because many people are unaware of this issue. The issue with North Korea is that they do not let anyone in or out of the country. Through a Global Awareness Project, I could send materials such as clothes, shoes, and food to Syrian refugees, which is another example of people who have nowhere to go. The Syrian refugees are living in very poor conditions, and they need help.

Philanthropy: Shaping the Future

By: Mia

Mia is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Chicago location. She also participated in AfG's 2015 Global Philanthropy Summit this past July that focused on empowering social innovation.

Philanthropy has two roots, philos and anthropos.  In the most literal sense, philanthropy means "love for humanity" but it is so much more.  When you give your effort to someone or something greater than yourself it is incredibly humbling and inspires not only you but those around you.  The act of giving is something that everyone can do, philanthropy is a universal concept.

Mia presenting at AfG's Global Philanthropy Summit.

In the past, I did medical missions and backpack missions in my mother's hometown of Bebe Matua in the Philippines.  This was very transformative in my life because it showed me that giving your time and effort into the world you live in allows you to make a human connection with others and yourself just by helping a cause you believe in. 

Growing up in Chicago and going to school and choir in Humboldt Park gave me a different perspective on the CPS school system than my peers at Walter Payton College Prep.  I remember many of my very intelligent and driven peers from elementary getting denied from high schools due to lack of preparatory resources.  This year, I started a tutoring program at Jenner Academy for the Arts to help the students perform to the best of their ability.  Putting together the program not only enriched my organization skills but also helped me develop opinions on teaching methods that I had not thought of before. Seeing the students at Jenner reminded me of my own childhood, and I wanted to help give those students the opportunities that many of my old friends did not have. 

Mia at AfG's GPS week.

Looking into the future and the present, I can easily see my life being one that has philanthropy at the center.  Philanthropy is looking for the better of the community, rather than the better of the individual. It is giving your resources of aid to others. Being a philanthropist and a catalyst for good means to dedicate yourself to improving the human condition. Helping others also helps ourselves through enriching ourselves in current problems and developing our views on the world, either through the aiding of the community, or the experience of contributing to the greater good. I want to be a catalyst for good because promoting universal welfare is our duty as global ambassadors and citizens.  To participate in the greater good is to improve the quality of life for both our generation and the next.

Philanthropy can't fix the past, but it can shape the future.