By Dave Boon & Carol Busch
IDEA WILD’s Youth for Biodiversity (YFB) program seeks to grow and empower young environmental leaders and philanthropists within our community. IDEA WILD recognizes that tomorrow’s leaders surround us today. However, these future leaders often lack the opportunity to engage in self-directed projects that foster community compassion while positively impacting local and international conservation efforts. The need for this kind of opportunity is urgent: youth are not celebrated, nor are they perceived, as agents of change. Furthermore, we live in an ever expanding nation who’s populous competes for limited natural resources. This is a critical concern since this competition for natural resources inevitably impacts biodiversity conservation in our own backyards. Understanding and caring about biodiversity begins early in life, through education and experiential training. We hope our schools set priorities for explaining the interrelationships between all species, as well as modeling the importance of protecting those relationships.
However, educators, whether at home or in school, cannot inspire on-the-grounds protection unless students participate in planning, advocating and managing conservation projects. Furthermore, by empowering youth with the financial resources that would make these conservation projects a reality, they begin to understand the power of philanthropy and the importance of functioning as an agent of change. Lastly, by recognizing youth as community organizers and advocates, supporting their ideas, and celebrating their and achievements, we help grow their self-confidence, vision, and character.
IDEA WILD staff and volunteers gave two presentations to recruit student leaders. These youth groups included the Rocky Mountain High School Environmental Club and the Fort Collins Interact Club which is composed of students from Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins and Poudre High Schools. We had both youth groups actively engaged in the program with a total student participation of 15 individuals.
The students were able to take advantage of an opportunity arranged by Nature’s Own, a retail store located in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. Roy Young, owner of Nature’s Own, opened the doors of the store to a private Christmas shopping event on November 13, 2003 for a Nature Goes Wild event in which 100 percent of the proceeds of all sales went to IDEA WILD. The students from both groups (RMHS and Interact) encouraged their parents, family and friends to conduct their Christmas shopping that evening. The Interact Group raised $1,734, the RMHS group raised $975 and a third individual from RMHS raised $327 for a total amount raised of $3,035. The Bohemian Foundation then matched their efforts 10 to 1.
For both groups, the students met, reviewed individual proposals, individually gave project overviews to the entire group about the proposal they had reviewed along with their recommendations to fund or not fund the project, and then the group discussed the proposal and selected appropriate proposals for funding. Forty-eight projects were funded in 18 countries. The excitement, involvement, and commitment of the students to become true “agents of change” exceeded all of our expectations.
IDEA WILD’s Youth for Biodiversity (YFB) program seeks to grow and empower young environmental leaders and philanthropists within our community. IDEA WILD recognizes that tomorrow’s leaders surround us today. However, these future leaders often lack the opportunity to engage in self-directed projects that foster community compassion while positively impacting local and international conservation efforts. The need for this kind of opportunity is urgent: youth are not celebrated, nor are they perceived, as agents of change. Furthermore, we live in an ever expanding nation who’s populous competes for limited natural resources. This is a critical concern since this competition for natural resources inevitably impacts biodiversity conservation in our own backyards. Understanding and caring about biodiversity begins early in life, through education and experiential training. We hope our schools set priorities for explaining the interrelationships between all species, as well as modeling the importance of protecting those relationships.
However, educators, whether at home or in school, cannot inspire on-the-grounds protection unless students participate in planning, advocating and managing conservation projects. Furthermore, by empowering youth with the financial resources that would make these conservation projects a reality, they begin to understand the power of philanthropy and the importance of functioning as an agent of change. Lastly, by recognizing youth as community organizers and advocates, supporting their ideas, and celebrating their and achievements, we help grow their self-confidence, vision, and character.
IDEA WILD staff and volunteers gave two presentations to recruit student leaders. These youth groups included the Rocky Mountain High School Environmental Club and the Fort Collins Interact Club which is composed of students from Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins and Poudre High Schools. We had both youth groups actively engaged in the program with a total student participation of 15 individuals.
The students were able to take advantage of an opportunity arranged by Nature’s Own, a retail store located in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. Roy Young, owner of Nature’s Own, opened the doors of the store to a private Christmas shopping event on November 13, 2003 for a Nature Goes Wild event in which 100 percent of the proceeds of all sales went to IDEA WILD. The students from both groups (RMHS and Interact) encouraged their parents, family and friends to conduct their Christmas shopping that evening. The Interact Group raised $1,734, the RMHS group raised $975 and a third individual from RMHS raised $327 for a total amount raised of $3,035. The Bohemian Foundation then matched their efforts 10 to 1.
For both groups, the students met, reviewed individual proposals, individually gave project overviews to the entire group about the proposal they had reviewed along with their recommendations to fund or not fund the project, and then the group discussed the proposal and selected appropriate proposals for funding. Forty-eight projects were funded in 18 countries. The excitement, involvement, and commitment of the students to become true “agents of change” exceeded all of our expectations.
YOUTH FOR BIODIVERSITY
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Students from Rocky Mountain,
Fort Collins and Poudre High Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado
helped raise enough money last year to fund 48
IDEA WILD projects.
IDEA WILD projects.
