GUTS: Generation United to Succeed
Submitted by queenofpink on Wed, 03/05/2008 - 20:26.
Last updated on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 14:02.
Vital Stats
completed project
04/01/2005
People Impacted:
500People Involved: 30
Money Raised: $4800
Project Video
The Problem
The GUTS Council (formerly known as the YWCA Youth Board) is an organization of high school students dedicated to building a Generation United to Succeed (GUTS). We focus on education and health care, the foundations of a successful lifestyle.
Why It's Important
Founded in Spring 2005, GUTS serves the local, national, and international community. From 2005-2007, the Council focused on helping the YWCA Family Violence Shelter, by collecting hundreds of cleaning supplies and travel bags for domestic violence victims. Council members helped clean the Family Violence Shelter and raised money to pay for utilities.
Other previous projects include tutoring underprivileged children in an inner-city neighborhood, collecting 1,000 books to start a library for the tutoring program, and hosting a free self-defense class for girls. The Founder of the GUTS Council has raised nearly $5,000 for various projects. Recently, the Council raised money to send snakebite antivenom kits to impoverished villages in India.
The GUTS Council especially focuses on increasing teen volunteerism and leadership. In 2006, the Council founded the GUTS Youth Summit, where 200 high school students learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, and issues from politics to domestic violence. With a recently awarded Plum Grant, the GUTS Council spearheaded the 2nd Annual GUTS Summit in August 2008.
The Plan Of Action
150 high school students attended the summit to hear guest speakers, share their own views on the 2008 presidential election, and participate in activities on diversity and the high school drop-out problem in American and our specific community.
Project Updates
10/11/08
Update: Update on 2008 GUTS Summit: 150 high school students attended the summit to hear guest speakers, share their own views on the 2008 presidential election, and participate in activities on diversity and the high school drop-out problem in American and our specific community.
Final Grant Update
10/11/08
Niha Jain
Number of people impacted: 150
Describe the impact the grant had: Without this grant, the 2008 GUTS Summit would not have been possible. This grant helped us pay for guest speakers, food, and a few other necessary materials.
Project highlights: 1.GUTS Council planning meetings - This was the service-learning aspect of the project. I led the GUTS Council, 15 high school girls, in organizing the entire project. It was a great learning experience for us, and the team bonded over many planning and organizational meetings! 2. Working with Centenary College - I worked closely with the Dean of Admissions and the Provost of the College. I learned a lot about collaborating with adults on projects. 3. GUTS Summit 2008 - The day of the event was really exciting. Our teamwork really came through; for example, when our radio DJ didn't show up for his performance, members of the GUTS Council took over and led a dance-off. The students who attended were very engaged by the speakers and activities that we had.
How did the project unfold and develop? My project, the 2008 GUTS Summit, was an initiative organized by the GUTS Council (a youth service organization that existed from April 2005-August 2008). This was modeled after our 2006 GUTS Summit, but with many changes. The project developed as I partnered with Centenary College of Louisiana, which provided a free-of-cost venue and support for the summit. Many community organizations supported the summit, including service organizations like Chimp Haven and the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, which had the opportunity to recruit youth volunteers at the summit. The 150 students who attended learned how to become more engaged leaders and volunteers in our community.
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Comments
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Do the speakers come to TX?
I am very inspired by this program.
:)
thanks! yes, the speakers all come to the summit location, which is in louisiana :)