KidsMatters, a local nonprofit, runs the Teen Philanthropy Initiative that gives 30 high school students college credit in partnership with North Central College. The initiative also affords students the opportunity to allocate $10,000 in grant funding to local charities that benefit youth.
The program is led by retired Naperville Central business teacher Janet Sommerville and co-chaired by Busey Bank Executive Vice President Mark Trembacki and KidsMatter CEO Nina Menis. However, students also take leadership roles in the process, working together to allocate the grant funding to various charities.
“As you move throughout your life, you have many opportunities to be a leader [and] to be part of a group,” Menis said. “There are a lot of skills developed throughout the [Teen Philanthropy Initiative] program that give young people the opportunity to try both sides — to be a leader and to be a good contributor in a group, to be a collaborative worker.”
Senior Arwa Hameed is one of eight Central students participating in the Teen Philanthropy Initiative’s cohort for the Class of 2025. Her experience has educated her on nonprofit fundraising and helped her become aware of the importance of giving back.
“Because of my time in the organization, I began to realize the value of [philanthropy] much more,” Hameed said. “Even though I don’t think I will be directly working in a philanthropic organization, I plan on pursuing a field that is very tied to philanthropy. It helps to have that knowledge [of nonprofits] because I can see both the systems of philanthropy and how important [they are] to every space within our world.”
Teen Philanthropy Initiative is one of over a dozen affiliates of the Three Pillars Initiative from across the U.S. Since 2012, 11% of alumni at the Teen Philanthropy Initiative and other affiliates have gone on to be employed in the nonprofit sector, according to the Three Pillars Initiative.
“Nonprofit work is really an important part of the fabric of our community, and it provides a lot of benefits to various different individuals, organizations and communities,” Menis said. “There’s also a lot of research around the benefits of volunteering and giving back and donating. It helps build your community up, it helps [make] you happier.”
According to Mayo Clinic, volunteering improves physical and mental health, provides a sense of purpose, teaches valuable skills and builds friendships.
“It brings a lot of value — you realize that your voice is going towards something that is real, that’s tangible,” Hameed said. “It makes me realize that even though we are teenagers, we all have such different viewpoints and different perspectives. But when you bring that together, we’re all able to make decisions that are done in a way that is meant to benefit people. At the end of the day, it makes you feel really good because you know you’re doing something that is going to help people around you, people in your community, and people who you see on the daily.”
