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Media Release

March 11, 2008

The Community Foundation of Ottawa announces 2008 Youth Empowerment Grants program

(Ottawa) – The Community Foundation of Ottawa’s Youth Advisory Committee is inviting local young people to apply for grants of up to $2500 through the Ottawa Youth in Philanthropy program. Designed to increase opportunities for Ottawa youth to act as leaders in the community, the 2008 Youth Empowerment Grants will fund projects that are proposed, selected and implemented by youth. Grants will be provided for approved projects that are initiated and carried out by local young people. The deadline for applications is April 14, 2008.

Launched in 2005, the Ottawa Youth in Philanthropy (OYIP) program is a local initiative that engages young people in the world of community philanthropy. Each year, the program brings together a widely diverse group of youth between the ages of 14 – 21 to sit on its Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). With the support of an adult advisor, the YAC works to raise money, build endowment funds and make grants to youth projects in the local community. The current YAC consists of 14 young people from all across the city of Ottawa.

The Community Foundation’s OYIP program has funded 15 youth-led projects since 2006, including a multicultural festival in the Caldwell community; a Youth Sexpo Conference addressing sexual awareness and promoting harm reduction among youth; a leadership camp for Somali-Canadian youth in Ottawa’s west end; and the Global Citizenship Conference that engaged young people in local and global issues. “Youth projects provide a valuable perspective when it comes to solving youth issues,” says David Makolm Reid, a 17-year-old YAC member. “It’s essential that we encourage youth to get involved in trying to improve the lives of others.”

Youth philanthropy is a rising local and global phenomenon that has seen over 500 grantmaking bodies sprout up in Canada and the U.S., more than half of which are within community foundations. For more information about OYIP program and the Youth Empowerment Grants program, click here.

Created by and for the people of Ottawa, the Community Foundation of Ottawa is a public, non-profit organization that has been serving the community since 1987. As an independent centre for community philanthropy, it connects donors who care with causes that matter and serves as a trusted resource for addressing issues and leveraging opportunities in the community. It attracts and manages a growing endowment, the invested earnings of which provide grants to charitable organizations.