AYPI Year in Review: By Sara Ahmad, ’23-’24 AYPI ChairAYPI (Arlington Youth Philanthropy Initiative) is pleased to submit the Year in Review to the Trustees and Staff of the Arlington Community Foundation (ACF), with sincerest gratitude for your support of this initiative. The Youth Board this year has been “small but mighty” as you will see with this report on its productivity. The Youth Board successfully funded numerous worthwhile ventures and raised awareness about AYPI’s mission, setting new milestones.
Grantmaking
Upon successfully completing the grant application process, AYPI provided grant funding to three excellent projects. Grant money was provided through the Fund for Youth Philanthropy, maintained by the ACF. The funded projects include Art for Patient Development, SEEK, and Charity Basket Club. These initiatives encompass a wide array of issues plaguing our community, ranging from providing basic necessities to homeless individuals to improving STEM literacy among underrepresented communities.
Art for Patient Development is a phenomenal initiative that supports the emotional health and well-being of children with chronic illnesses through arts and crafts. SEEK, which stands for Science and Engineering Engagement for Kids, provides hands-on STEM activities to diverse young students to enhance STEM literacy. Charity Basket Club distributes essential hygiene products to underserved individuals, in collaboration with PathForward.
AYPI received an additional 4 grant applications, which were unfunded at year-end for various reasons. These included the Arlington Community Garden, Arlington Tech Cultural Night, Water Bonds, and Youth UN Women.
AYPI anticipates supporting several of the unfunded projects during the upcoming academic year, provided key application components are received in a timely manner, and then reviewed and approved by the Youth Board. A notable venture is the Arlington Community Garden, which aims to combat food insecurity by donating their freshly grown produce to local food banks such as AFAC. With this venture, the Board awaits information from the project team lead on the development of additional funding sources. The Youth Board encourages additional fundraising efforts to demonstrate the sustainability of a project. Another project, Arlington Tech Cultural Night, is an annual celebration of the diverse backgrounds of its student body and provides a safe space for people to share their cultures and heritage.
Fundraising/Sustainability
Apart from the excellent youth-led initiatives, the ‘23-’24 year is notable for several reasons. AYPI participated in its second Holiday Bazaar Market at Washington-Liberty (WL) High School, selling decorated hot chocolate pouches and raising over $1,000 to support the Fund for Youth Philanthropy. This highly collaborative event served as a catalyst for spreading awareness about our mission and impactful work, resulting in an increase in grant applications, interest from prospective board members, and funds for our grantmaking.
Communication/Outreach
Another significant milestone for us this year was our first-ever presentation to the WL PTA. With a goal of expanding our presence in the Arlington community, AYPI recognized the WL PTA as a valuable source of feedback and advice. Our objective was to use parents and teachers to help us increase the participation of students as Youth Board members and encourage students to develop sustainable ventures that change our community for the better. The Board greatly valued their unique insights in guiding us toward greater success.
In addition to in-person events, the Board acknowledges the transformative power of social media. Therefore, in an effort to increase our online engagement, the Outreach Committee Chair consistently posted information about our events on Instagram, including the Holiday Bazaar.
We hope to expand this engagement next year, with the assistance of ACF and its communication channels.
Planning
A key focus for the Youth Board has been the ongoing Strategic Development Plan, with the Board reviewing goals and progress at each monthly meeting. This plan outlines the Board’s objectives for the year, ensuring smooth and effective implementation. While AYPI operates entirely as a youth-led organization, our achievements and continued success would not have been possible without the invaluable support of our ACF trustees and mentors. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our incredible mentors, Susan Duke and Kirby Clark, as well as our Board members, Kamran Ahmad, Kathryn Boerckel, Gabrielle Cordero, Thea Maloney, Maya Yilmaz, and Hasan Mohamed, for their insights, guidance, and active participation in all our meetings.
As you can see, we have accomplished a lot this year! We welcome any questions or comments you may have about our work.
Sincerely,
Sara Ahmad
How can YOU support AYPI?
If you’re an Arlington high school student, join AYPI! You can send an email to AYPI@arlcf.org to express your interest in joining for the coming school year. Be sure to follow AYPI on Instagram for future updates and events.
Donate to the Fund for Youth Philanthropy: Your gift to this fund helps AYPI offer grants for sustainable, youth-led projects that make a difference in the community. All contributions will be receipted for tax-deduction purposes. Click here to donate.