Every Voice in Action is a small foundation in Tucson, Arizona. Its mission is "to ignite and support youth voice, infusing the community with the unique perspectives of young people." Their specific goals are to:

• Encourage and support youth voice from all youth – with special emphasis on the majority of youth who are not currently engaged in voicing their opinions and ideas at a community level
• Increase the number of youth in decision-making roles

Those are surely the words of empowerment! That is why, early in its existence, the staff and board at Every Voice in Action realized how much more they could accomplish if they went beyond the traditional funder approach of "giving grants to youth organizations." Instead, they chose to walk their talk, empowering young people by the very act of distributing those funds.

How do they accomplish that? Through the work of the Every Voice in Action YOUTH CREW. According to their website,

Every Voice in Action's Youth Crew (the Crew) works with staff to examine issues affecting youth in Tucson, and make decisions about how to invest grant funds. Staff also counts on this group of high school and college-aged youth to provide expertise and insights about being a young person today. About fifteen members are currently active in the Crew during the school year.

The Youth Crew, however is not an advisory group that gives their opinions and little else. Crew members are actively engaged in the work of the foundation – and are responsible for granting $50,000 each year. In turn, they have a unique opportunity to learn about community issues affecting youth and families and to make a difference, all while growing personally and having fun.

Each new Crew kicks off the program year with a weekend-long retreat. Participants get to know one another, start building a working team and begin learning about philanthropy, community change, and current issues. The group then looks at potential areas of focus for grants to be awarded the following spring. Once the focus is chosen, the group uses the spring semester to write and issue an RFP, review proposals, and make final funding decisions.

Notice that first sentence - these young people don't simply "give advice" on how to invest grant funds. They "make decisions". The Youth Crew develops the priorities for funding. And they are responsible for giving out the money. They attend retreats, build their own internal community, learn, grow - and provide real support for Every Voice in Action's mission.

That's engagement. And you can bet if Every Voice in Action were seeking young people to serve on their board, they would not have any trouble doing so.

For more information about Every Voice in Action's work, head to

http://www.everyvoicefoundation.org/index.php