Three Years Later...

By: Sonali
Sonali participated in our Summer Summit and Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy programs. A native Chicagoan, she is currently a student at Tulane University. 

The summer after my sophomore year in 2014, my father signed me up for a program called the Global Philanthropy Summit with an organization called Allow Good. I was reluctant to wake up early during my first week of summer to drive to Evanston in rush hour traffic, knowing no one or what I was going to do that week. Three years later, I am grateful for that week at Allow Good where I learned what the word philanthropy meant or that you did not have to be a millionaire to give to others because of three things-time, talent, and treasure. The vocabulary and knowledge I gained from that week felt much more valuable than anything I had learned in high school. In the spring of my junior year, I had the privilege of going through the Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy program, which was essential to helping me form what I may want to study beyond high school. When college applications rolled around that fall, I knew I needed to attend a school with focus on both public service and a degree focused on social good.

Going into my second year at Tulane University this fall, I am majoring in Social Policy & Practice and Political Science, with minors in Management and Spanish. Tulane is also the number one school in the country for public service and I work for the Center for Public Service. Allow Good showed me at a formative age the importance of making change no matter what age you are. Further, it taught me lessons about philanthropy, charity, non-profits, and social entrepreneurship I would have never learned without the Global Philanthropy Summit or Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy. I am grateful for these experiences because I know they fueled my desire to work on public education policy following college.

This summer, I was able to join Allow Good on their Summer Summit, attending some of the same workshops I experienced three summers ago, and also seeing how the program has developed and grown. Not only was it a great refresher to revisit many social enterprises and non-profit organizations, but watching the participants' thought processes and creative ideas was thrilling. It is comforting to see that even in a chaotic society with little attention given to social good in schools, students still demonstrate their creativity and social awareness. To me, the Summer Summit showed me the importance of organizations such as Allow Good, which focus on youth and educating them on what they are capable of.

Soles for Kids: AfG Youth Giving Back

Children living in poverty lack many of life's most basic necessities, including a good pair of shoes. Three Allowance for Good youth chose to tackle this issue and give more children across the world the comfort of a good pair of shoes.

Charlie, Danny, and Tim participated in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location.

After their participation in the ELP program, Charlie, Danny, and Tim decided to start their own project - a shoe drive for Soles for Kids. Soles for Kids is an incredible charity that collects used, not abused, shoes and soccer balls to distribute to children worldwide. They have distributed shoes to children in need in Africa, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

The three AfG youth organized a shoe donation drive at York High School during a basketball game, where they collected 72 pairs of shoes. They also raised $75 to put towards shipping costs.

All the shoes they collected were given to Soles for Kids and sent to children in Tanzania. These young men acted as agents of change in their community, and their efforts will have significant effects far from their homes. Allowance for Good is proud to see them serving as global citizens and making a difference in the lives of many children.

If interested in running your own shoe drive, you can find more information about donating to Soles for Kids here.

Empowering Chicago Students: AfG's Collaboration with Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group

By: Isabelle Canaan

Isabelle has double duty as Chairman for Education and Co-chair on the Executive Board for the Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group. CYPG, a student organization at University of Chicago, was Allowance for Good's first Allow Good collaboration. They strive to "empower the community, one student at a time." In partnership with CYPG, we are teaching over 200 students on Chicago’s South Side at King College Prep High School and Kenwood Academy. CYPG has also acted as our working partner to develop an additional AfG chapter at Northwestern University. 

A black, lesbian, obese, bad feminist, Roxane Gay is the exemplary fighter.  Against the backdrop of Black Lives Matter, a feminist rebirth, and a re-examination of societal values, she, in a talk last fall, discussed allyship. An ally is not a passive role. You have to act, but must do so in a restrained manner, walking the fine line between being a spokesperson, but not THE spokesperson. You must actively fight for a cause without donning it. 

It is so easy now to pick up the banner of injustice, but without authenticity, sometimes when speaking for another you actually harden divisions. Every week, as part of the Chicago Youth Philanthropy Group (CYPG), I discuss current events with public high school juniors and seniors on Chicago’s Southside. Our goal is to give the students a safe space to champion issues and voice discontent. Yet, it would be disingenuous for me, someone who did not go through their experience, to stand in the spotlight or drown them out. As an ally, I have a responsibility to fight, but I should never forget that I am an accessory to their cause. 

My role is a mentor and a facilitator, but also a fellow student. We college students, we are often trapped in an academic and social bubble, viewing the city through the prism of our campus. CYPG has been my way to connect with the neighborhoods beyond the ivory tower and the echo chamber that is academia. My students offer a different, arguably “real-er” perspective. They do not have the luxury of stepping away into the library and forgetting about the discrimination, danger, and dysfunction that exists on the Southside. They confront these issues on a daily basis and it is exceptionally rewarding to see the classroom dynamic succeed. When a student can get up and share a personal anecdote about a time in their lives when they were directly confronted with one of the issues we discuss, the classroom atmosphere succeeds. A safe environment allows students to share openly, without fear of judgment. 

After creating a safe environment, the next most important role as a teacher is to push the students to remain hopeful and to really believe in their individual power to change. There are times when the students will sigh and say, “Nothing’s going to change”, but we must show them that they have the power to create change, no matter how small and no matter how gradual.

The True Cost behind Fashion

In December, AfG's Associate Board hosted a successful event called Good Views: The True Cost. We showed the groundbreaking documentary film, The True Cost, that provides a look into the untold stories of the fashion industry and asks people to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? 


We recently invited a few members of the Allowance for Good community to reflect back on the event and the lessons they took away from the documentary. We'd like to extend our thanks to Associate Board members, Erica and Megan, and AfG youth, Ross, for sharing their experiences and thoughts.

What were your initial reactions after seeing The True Cost?

Megan Bowen, AfG Associate Board member After seeing The True Cost, I think my initial reactions were similar to many of the other individuals in the room. The movie was devastating. It is difficult to understand how our habits in the US, something as small as going shopping for clothing, can have such a global impact. The movie definitely opened our eyes to the consequences of discount clothing shopping.

Ross, AfG youth It was incredibly thought provoking, making me put my own shopping habits into perspective and consider the rest of the world. However, I knew that I was still imprisoned in the grasp of consumerism. Another 20% off coupon or promotion for a $3 t-shirt and I’d be perpetuating the toxic cycle that is the garment industry. What would solve this? More accessible world-conscious clothing, less expensive world-conscious clothing, and a more constant stream of awareness regarding the wrong-doings of big fashion. In the internet world we live in, important things can easily be swept away in the deluge of cat videos and list articles. 

Erica, AfG Associate Board Co-Founder and memberThe True Cost was one of the most eye-opening documentaries I’ve seen in a long time because it forced me to confront the part I play in the fast fashion industry. Before the event, I was blissfully unaware of how my shopping habits were contributing to the devastation and exploitation of communities across the globe. The True Cost changed everything. First, I was shocked to learn of the damaging effects of donated clothing. I always feel proud when I take my clothes to Salvation Army or Goodwill, thinking that I am helping the environment by recycling, as well whoever shops at the discounted stores. I was appalled to learn that those clothes either end up in landfills or overseas where they cripple local economies. Second, I learned that companies claiming to be sustainable – companies that I regularly shop with – are fooling their consumers. It doesn’t matter how sincere they are with their efforts to go green; fast fashion companies’ mass production will never align with sustainable, eco-friendly practices.  These are lessons that good intentions are not enough. As global citizens, we are obligated to learn about and respect the interconnectedness of our world. Buying socially conscious clothing is a change we all can make that will exponentially improve the world we share.

How did the movie build your awareness moving forward?

Ross While it really did make me think, I was right in my presumption that a lasting effect wouldn’t come from one showing. But I’m going to do more research. Look for the more world-conscious retailers. Find out how I CAN help. Because it’s a cause that matters. I am in the direct path of a tidal wave of data every day, and it takes a lot to hold on to the bits that matter. This is why the world needs more organizations like AfG. To pull out the crucial stories and causes, showing them to people and making a difference. One person can never catch all the honest pleas for action that fly by in a day, and Allowance for Good makes more of those pleas heard.

Did your experiences affect your thoughts around shopping or your purchasing habits?

Megan I think I am trying my best to be more aware of the products I purchase and where they were manufactured. If every person that watched The True Cost avoids just one store that was mentioned in the movie, I think I would call our event a success. For me, I decided that I would not shop at Forever 21 anymore, and so far, that has been a success.  

Erica Since watching The True Cost, I have made changes to where I buy clothes, how often I shop, and how I donate and recycle old clothes. It was surprisingly difficult to find a program that handles donated clothes responsibly, though it seems that donating to local thrift shops or directly to women’s homes and churches are the best choices. My biggest take away from The True Cost is that I can afford to shop better, but the world cannot afford fast fashion. 

Did you share or talk about what you learned with anyone else (perhaps someone who hadn't attended the event)?

Megan I did talk about it with friends and urged them to watch The True Cost. Though I found it difficult to put the movie’s events and stories into words that did it justice. 

Erica I recently shared what I learned with my mother, and she was incredibly concerned about her own shopping and donating habits. She hadn’t even seen the documentary, but just listening to me compelled her to change her ways. The conversation was proof that basic awareness is an easy first step to curbing our overconsumption. 

Allow Good: Engaging High School Students in Philanthropy

By: Rachel
Rachel is on the leadership team for Northwestern University's chapter of Allow Good. 

Allow Good teacher engages students at the first class at YOU.

"Not only do millennials lack the kind of empathy that allows them to feel concerned for others, but they also have trouble even intellectually understanding others' points of view," reported Time magazine writer Joel Stein in 2013. In his article, Stein accused millennials of having the lowest generational dedication to civic engagement but the highest rates of narcissism as the so-called "Me, Me, Me Generation." However, I feel this increasingly popular narrow mindset mislabels individuals as self-absorbed when in actuality many are empathetic and engaged and those who are uninvolved in their community simply are not presented with adequate accessible volunteer opportunities. The issue of disengaged youth greatly motivated myself and a group of my Northwestern peers to work with Allowance for Good in producing a high school program teaching students about philanthropy through a civic engagement and social justice lens. We felt high schoolers deserved a chance to be treated as competent young-adults, educated about their local non-profits, and then given the resources and skills to responsibly give $1000 back to their community.

The idea for this curriculum stemmed from a spring course my project partner, Imani Wilson, and I took at Northwestern called the Philanthropy Lab. We spent the course learning about the history of philanthropy, how to evaluate non-profits, and meeting with potential grantees to receive a portion of our class grant of $100,000, which was sponsored through the Once Upon a Time Foundation (OUTF). We worked on the class's Child and Youth Development Team and in the end granted $20,000 to Girls in the Game (GiG), a local Chicago organization that encourages girls to use sports to improve self-esteem and reinforce healthy lifestyles. Once the class ended, OUTF encouraged students in our class to apply for their Changemakers Grant of $5,000 to sponsor any project that would educate students about philanthropy.

Rachel, at the Allow Good teacher training

Shortly after, we were put in contact with Allowance for Good and discussed our vision of an adaptation of our philanthropy lab class taught to high schoolers by Northwestern students. Soon after filling out paperwork, we received the $5,000 grant and quickly found two more NU students, Fannie and Matt, to join the project as credit for our Civic Engagement Certificate non-profit internship class. Fall quarter, we worked tirelessly to create a pilot program with 14 lesson plans lasting 45 minutes each including a detailed teacher's manual. Last week, we spent 6 hours training teachers in philanthropy education and classroom facilitation strategies. Now, I am happy to announce that our first day of classes will launch last week at Niles North High School and Evanston Township High School's after-school program called Y.O.U.

Reflecting on the past few months, I believe the best part of working on the project has been seeing the assets of my team come together. Fannie joined the team with expertise in philanthropy curriculum development. As a passionate social justice advocate on campus, Matt brought a wealth of knowledge on teaching students about current inequality issues. And, Imani's ability to pay close attention to detail and insistence on meeting deadlines helped our group stay on pace. With their contributions, the curriculum and camaraderie among group members has surpassed anything I originally imagined.

Looking to the future, I can't wait to see the impact of the curriculum on high school students. Once presented with the opportunity to learn and give back, I am confident that these students will rise to the occasion and erase any association with the so-called "Me, Me, Me Generation."