Youth Advisory Council awarded College Positive Community grant
Published 11:32 am Friday, May 2, 2014
Students from Niles, Buchanan, Brandywine, Edwardsburg and Cassopolis hosted a college day on April 23 for students in their schools. (Submitted photo)
BUCHANAN — Southern Berrien and Cass Counties of Michigan are on their way to becoming “college positive,” thanks to a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) College Positive Challenge Grant supported by The Kresge Foundation and administered by the Council of Michigan Foundations.
The purpose of the YAC College Positive Community Challenge Grant program is to build a strong, statewide network of youth grantmakers that are proactively supporting college access and success and to leverage additional community dollars for local organizations that encourage a college positive community.
The Challenge Grant encouraged YACs to create partnerships with community groups such as mentoring and tutoring organizations, or to organize special projects that specifically engaged low-income, first generation and/or students of color.
The local Michigan Gateway Community Foundation YAC partnered with Lake Michigan College (LMC) to encourage 8th grade students from the communities we serve to start thinking about going to college.
The local event took place April 9 and April 23, when selected 8th grade students were transported by bus to the LMC campus to attend workshops so students know college can be in their future. The 8th graders listened to professors and professionals, enjoyed a tour and had lunch.
The Michigan Gateway Community Foundation’s YAC thinks it is important to get younger students excited about going to college. They believe an event like this will start a new trend of college-going students.
The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is a youth grantmaking body of a community foundation with a permanently endowed youth fund. The YACs focus on serving community youth by addressing issues of concern and importance through grantmaking from the revenue earned on the youth endowment.
Michigan Gateway Community Foundation is a collection of endowed funds established by individuals, agencies, and businesses to address the charitable needs of South Berrien and Cass Counties. To find out more, or to make a contribution visit the website at www.mgcf.org or call us at 269-695-3521.
