Publication Date: July 15, 2013
A case study of the Dekko Foundation’s youth engagement strategies. Their “Youth Pods” began in the 1990s, when a staff member went to a family philanthropy conference and learned about youth philanthropy initiatives. With no Dekko family members at the right age, the Dekko Foundation looked to the Michigan Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council model to develop youth philanthropy in the communities it serves. They partnered with the local community foundation as the fiscal agent and schools to recruit students and help run the program. The first of what they call “Youth Pods” was started in 1994 in Noble County, Indiana. There are now 13 Youth Pods in four states.
Copyright 2013 by National Center for Family Philanthropy. All rights reserved.