Youth Advisory Council (YAC) members and YAC advisors from around the state gathered over the weekend for the 2023 Youth Grantmakers Summer Leadership Conference.

Through three days of engaging and powerful programming, YACs explored how to stay involved in philanthropy throughout their lives, generated community impact ideas, created a safe space to discuss mental health, learned how to effectively engage in informed conversations to bridge divides and more.

Across Michigan, more than 1,500 young people serve on 86 YACs. Each YAC is a subcommittee of a community foundation with a permanently endowed youth fund. They are comprised of youth members ages 12-21 who engage in leadership development and community service and review and allocate grant dollars to local nonprofits' efforts affecting youth.

The Michigan Community Foundation's Youth Project (MCFYP) is the statewide youth philanthropy council for Michigan, comprised of youth who currently are or have recently served on a YAC.

The MCFYP Committee, which includes youth and YAC advisors from around the state, leads the development, design and facilitation of youth programming at CMF, including the Youth Grantmakers Summer Leadership Conference. 

CMF is committed to fostering the growth and development of philanthropy leaders – especially youth leaders through our engagement with MCFYP, Learning to Give and beyond.

Our team works closely with YAC advisors around the state to support their work with trainings, connections and timely and relevant resources.

Sara JacobsCarter, youth impact coordinator at Midland Area Community Foundation, shared that the youth conference provides a valuable opportunity to connect YACs to youth serving on the MCFYP committee.

“Introducing our YACs to this next level of leadership and services that are possible through Michigan’s YAC system is a great opportunity to hopefully inspire them to contribute to next year’s conference planning,” JacobsCarter said.

This year’s summer conference was centered on the theme Rooted: Growth and Connection.

“I think the conference gives youth a renewed sense of their responsibility and opportunity as YAC members while reminding them that they’re not in it alone. They feel like they’re a part of something much bigger than themselves,” Patti Wheater, senior communications officer at Fremont Area Community Foundation, said.

Yadah Ramirez, program officer/college success coach at the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, shared that the conference gives YACs from across the state the opportunity to connect with each other, learn best practices and take ownership of the activities, initiatives and projects that they would like their own YAC to implement.

“The conference exposes YACs to current leaders in philanthropy that may help them identify and question their communities' needs, which helps them become empathetic, reflective individuals, setting them on a course to potentially continue this important work in their future,” Ramirez said.

According to Hannah Rodriguez, program officer and MCFYP advisor at Manistee County Community Foundation, the conference is an opportunity for youth engaged in philanthropy to gather and learn from one another and grow as leaders in their YAC and their communities.

“The energy of the conference is so incredible, and seeing young people so passionate and empowered to use their voice to bring about positive change is truly inspiring. It is amazing to watch them learn from each other, empower and support each other, and grow together,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez shared that as YAC alumni, she is certain that youth engagement is critical to the equitable and inclusive growth philanthropy continues to work towards.

“Through YAC, I learned to be an advocate for not only myself but also those around me and that if you want to understand and address a need or a challenge, you have to engage those it impacts. Feeling empowered to engage with my community and knowing that my voice mattered is an experience I want every young person to have,” Rodriguez said.

Kara Bauer LeMonds, program officer and MCFYP advisor at the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, shared that the greatest value she gets from the conference is inspiration.

“To see youth from all across the state engaged and enthused and really starting to ‘get’ what it means to be in the philanthropy space is so exciting. It's also exciting for me as an advisor to collaborate with other foundations and get ideas for my own YACs on new ways to do things, I feel like I learn more each year,” Bauer LeMonds said.

“YACs are so valuable because they show youth that their community needs them and also show the community how much they need youth engagement. Our communities don’t need youth to be leaders someday, they need them right now,” Wheater said.

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