Youth Advisory Council (YAC)

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

We are targeting students who are one or more of the following:

  • Going into or currently attending 9th or 10th grade this fall

  • Attending High Schools in South Berrien or Cass County including Buchanan, Niles, Brandywine, Ross Beatty (Cassopolis), Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, and Marcellus School districts

  • Students who bring a unique perspective and/or represent diverse populations due to life experiences, racial/ethnic background, LGBTQ+, disability, socioeconomic status, etc.

We are looking for students who could be profoundly impacted by the YAC experience, not those just looking for another thing to add to an already full resume. Students will need to be committed and engaged and have reliable transportation to monthly meetings and events.

Overview

The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is a group of students representing high schools within our service areas of South Berrien & Cass Counties. They are empowered to assess local youth needs, review grant applications and advise the Community Foundation on youth grant awards. They use the power of a Youth Endowment, which generates approximately $18,000 in spending for the needs of young people. This endowment was raised with a matching grant from the Kellogg Foundation and the support of hundreds of individual donors in our communities.

YAC grants have brought enrichment programs to our schools, supported youth outreach in our communities, and helped provide youth agencies with the resources they need to run programs. The group also assesses youth needs by designing and employing a needs assessment tool, participates in leadership training activities through the foundation, and attends the state YAC conference and local community service activities. Membership in the YAC is an excellent training opportunity for leadership roles later in life.

Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Priorities Areas

The Youth Advisory Council focuses its resources on specific areas based on the YAC needs assessment that is completed every few years. The next needs assessment will be completed in 2023 for the 2022-23 school year. To learn more about the needs assessment, click below:

If you would like to seek a grant from YAC, please click the link below to access our Grants page and follow the steps to apply for a grant. YAC awards grants during our MGCF annual grant cycles in addition to the YAC mini-grant cycle in November.