By Kimberly Willis Green
Maynard Jackson High School siblings Askari Flewellen and Uwezo Flewellen II recently spoke with more than 90 youth ministers at Princeton University about inspiring their peers to give back to their community. The two brothers were members of GivingPoint’s leadership program at the GivingPoint Institute (GPI) held November 13-15 in Princeton, New Jersey.
During the conference, the Flewellen brothers shared their experiences as young service leaders, explaining how support from caring adults influenced their own community engagement activities. The Jackson High School siblings have collectively contributed over 500 hours of community service.
They were awarded social innovation grants from GivingPoint for their youth service programs last August. Askari Flewellen, a sophomore, received a $500 grant for his youth service program called “Get Ready. Get Set. Serve!” to equip and inspire his peers to give back to their community. His older brother, Uwezo Flewellen II, a junior, received a $2,000 grant for his program “Simple Math Today” to provide a peer-to-peer tutoring program for middle school students struggling in math.
With the theme, “The Abundant Life: Inspiring Youth as Agents of Change,” the two-day conference was hosted by the Princeton Theological Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry and GivingPoint’s founder, Derek Smith, served as the keynote speaker. The conference marks the first time the siblings have visited an Ivy League university.
“We had a special opportunity to bring these incredible students from Atlanta to this prestigious institution so that they may share their passion for social change,” said GivingPoint executive director Miranda Hocevar. “We want leaders who work with youth all over the country to understand what motivates these young people to give back and the role they can play in supporting students who are concerned about the world around them. Our goal has always been to let the young people be heard.”
GivingPoint is an Atlanta-based youth development organization that equips and motivates students, ages 13-24 to understand critical social issues, connect to local charities, track their community contributions and leverage their skills to make a difference. Today, more than 8,000 students are using GivingPoint’s customized online platform to connect to a network of 500 nonprofits, schools, and donors eager to help young people create positive change. GivingPoint users have generated a $6 million charitable impact through their volunteerism and fundraising efforts. The organization was founded in 2009 with a mission to unleash the passion and energy of young people to create an unprecedented level of civic engagement – to create caring hearts and entrepreneurial minds. For more information on launching a civic engagement program within your organization, please visit www.myGivingPoint.org or call 770-709-5010.
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