Free and Equal: Working towards Equal Human Rights for All

By: Danny

Danny is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location. 

"I am a Catalyst for Good because... I want everyone to have a chance to follow their dreams" Danny pictured at the ELP Elmhurst class.

During our discussion about human rights and the sustainable development goals, I was introduced to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was written by the United Nations. I realized that many countries do not have the same rights as we are so fortunate to have in the United States, despite the fact that everyone is entitled to the rights. I feel these human rights are important because everyone should have the opportunity to be independent, to make decisions for themselves, and yet in numerous regions across the world, only a few or a small group of these rights are followed, which calls for a need for change. I feel that the most important right is the first right, which is: We Are All Born Free & Equal. It explains the reasoning, stating, “We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.” I feel that treating people equally has been the one of the most prevalent issues over time, which ties into the second right, which states: Don’t Discriminate. Throughout history, many issues have been caused by people not being treated equally. While many bad things have emerged from discrimination, such as the Holocaust and slavery, there are a few good things that have come from this. The good things stream from activists who have stood up to ensure equality, which is actually the root of our country, as the colonists stood up to England after unequal treatment.

While Malala is passionate about the right of education for women, I am passionate about no unfair detainment. People have the right to move as they wish, and yet many countries do not allow their citizens to leave the country. Many people, for example in North Korea, are placed in labor camps for suspicion of being a rebel despite the fact that they have no direct evidence. This ties to the right to fair trial. I could raise awareness about this issue by exposing that North Korea and other countries have labor camps, because many people are unaware of this issue. The issue with North Korea is that they do not let anyone in or out of the country. Through a Global Awareness Project, I could send materials such as clothes, shoes, and food to Syrian refugees, which is another example of people who have nowhere to go. The Syrian refugees are living in very poor conditions, and they need help.

Understanding How We Spend Money

By: Charles

Charles is a participant in Allowance for Good's 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location. 

"I am a Catalyst for Good because....I want to make a change" Charles at AfG's ELP class in Elmhurst this week.

I learned how every little thing I buy really adds up. Almost all the things I am spending my money on is something that is not necessary and I can live without. I was really surprised tracking my spending because I spent a lot more than I even realized. I will definitely spend my money differently now that I realize that I don't need to spend as much money and use it to donate because I know how much farther the money goes in third world countries than it does here. Financial literacy is very important to philanthropy because if everyone realized how unnecessary a lot of the things they are buying then we could use it to change the world.

Philanthropy: Shaping the Future

By: Mia

Mia is a participant in Allowance for Good's Fall 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Chicago location. She also participated in AfG's 2015 Global Philanthropy Summit this past July that focused on empowering social innovation.

Philanthropy has two roots, philos and anthropos.  In the most literal sense, philanthropy means "love for humanity" but it is so much more.  When you give your effort to someone or something greater than yourself it is incredibly humbling and inspires not only you but those around you.  The act of giving is something that everyone can do, philanthropy is a universal concept.

Mia presenting at AfG's Global Philanthropy Summit.

In the past, I did medical missions and backpack missions in my mother's hometown of Bebe Matua in the Philippines.  This was very transformative in my life because it showed me that giving your time and effort into the world you live in allows you to make a human connection with others and yourself just by helping a cause you believe in. 

Growing up in Chicago and going to school and choir in Humboldt Park gave me a different perspective on the CPS school system than my peers at Walter Payton College Prep.  I remember many of my very intelligent and driven peers from elementary getting denied from high schools due to lack of preparatory resources.  This year, I started a tutoring program at Jenner Academy for the Arts to help the students perform to the best of their ability.  Putting together the program not only enriched my organization skills but also helped me develop opinions on teaching methods that I had not thought of before. Seeing the students at Jenner reminded me of my own childhood, and I wanted to help give those students the opportunities that many of my old friends did not have. 

Mia at AfG's GPS week.

Looking into the future and the present, I can easily see my life being one that has philanthropy at the center.  Philanthropy is looking for the better of the community, rather than the better of the individual. It is giving your resources of aid to others. Being a philanthropist and a catalyst for good means to dedicate yourself to improving the human condition. Helping others also helps ourselves through enriching ourselves in current problems and developing our views on the world, either through the aiding of the community, or the experience of contributing to the greater good. I want to be a catalyst for good because promoting universal welfare is our duty as global ambassadors and citizens.  To participate in the greater good is to improve the quality of life for both our generation and the next.

Philanthropy can't fix the past, but it can shape the future.

Making a Difference through Golf

By: Matthew
Matthew is a participant in Allowance for Good's 2015 Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy class in the Elmhurst location. 

AfG's Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy Elmurst students.

For the past seven years I have been involved with an organization called Revelation Golf. This group was founded by two women, one of whom is a trained physical therapist and the other of whom is a former professional golfer and golf coach. They started this group to help people with physical disabilities learn the game of golf. This includes children with physical limitations (like myself) as well as veterans who have been injured. In most cases the people with whom they work are not able to play sports the way that able-bodied people do but golf is something that many people can figure out how to do. Because of the background of the two women (therapy and golf) they can usually figure out a way to teach their participants how to work around their limitations and hit the golf ball pretty well.

The two women who run the organization are an inspiration to me. They both could've made a lot more money doing what they were trained to do (therapy and golf coaching) but have chosen to sacrifice their own self-interest in order to help others. The obvious joy on their faces when their participants do well on the golf course is great to see. They both took a big risk in their lives by deciding to do what they were passionate about but I think they're glad that they made the choice that they did.

In the past, I've helped this organization by volunteering at their annual golf outings, being featured in their promotional literature and videos, and giving speeches at various events.  Also, my mom is on the board of directors and both my mom and dad have been involved in helping to organize the annual golf outing fundraiser. Over the years it's been interesting to see how the organization has changed and it's been wonderful to see how many hundreds of people have been helped.

After all these years, it really feels like the women who run this organization have become part of our family and I think they would say that we're part of their family as well. Going forward I hope to be able to stay involved with them in whatever capacity they need me. Teaching disabled people to play golf may seem like a small, somewhat unimportant thing, but I can attest to the fact that it makes a big difference by allowing people to be able to do something outside with their friends and family and by helping people become more active in their community. It’s also a lot of fun! They truly are an inspiration and I hope to stay involved so that we can continue helping people with disabilities to play the great game of golf and more importantly to learn that that their physical limitations should not prevent them from doing something they want to do.

Kicking the Soccer Ball towards a Better Future

By: Madeleine
Madeleine was a participant in Allowance for Good's 2015 Global Philanthropy Summit. She is now partnering with AYSO and one of our Global Affiliates, Spark Ventures, to provide soccer supplies for children in Zambia and Nicaragua. To donate to her project please check out her Go Fund Me page.

Soccer can reach across language barriers.

Hi! My name is Madeleine Beirne and I attended the venture philanthropy GPS program this summer. Through the AfG program, I was able to meet an amazing organization called Spark Ventures, that helps communities in Zambia and Nicaragua create thriving businesses, and introduce myself to Lucy Jodlowska and Arnold Duijzer, who encouraged the group to help think of games and activities that the children (in Zambia and Nicaragua) and the people coming with Spark Ventures could participate in to help introduce themselves and learn from each other. We were aware that there were both language and age barriers between the children and the people with Spark Ventures, so one of the main activities that the group could participate in easily was soccer, which is wildly popular in both places.

Before the AfG program, my dad and I had spoken about the idea to partner with AYSO, the national soccer league in America, and start a donation drive where AYSO participants would be able to donate their old jerseys, uniforms, cleats, and soccer equipment. One of the main things I was trying to figure out, however, was what organization to donate them to. While trying to brainstorm ideas for Spark Ventures, I realized that this would be a perfect opportunity to connect this idea with Spark Ventures and see if they would be interested in the donations.

Maddie, on right, at AfG's Global Philanthropy Summit.

Through AfG, I was able to connect with Lucy and figure out the details of the soccer uniform donation drive. One of the main things that I took away from the AfG program was how important youth driven philanthropy is, both to our world and to future generations. AfG helped me make connections with organizations and people, and it made me realize that, as youth, we have the power to inspire and help others.

With the amazing support and cooperation of AYSO, the American Youth Soccer Organization, my dad and I were able to set up a tent at the AYSO lakefront soccer fields and collect old soccer uniforms and equipment from AYSO participants, which we will be doing every Saturday for a couple of weeks. Amazingly, we were able to collect hundreds of uniforms, cleats, socks, soccer balls, and other equipment on just the first day. This equipment will be going to children in Nicaragua and Zambia, the two locations where Spark Ventures has helped create thriving businesses in, and it will be shipped there within a couple weeks. We are dividing the uniforms into teams so that the children in both locations are able to form teams and create a smaller soccer league, that even the Spark Ventures visitors can participate in!

Some of the soccer uniforms Madeleine has collected.

Because we have a multitude of equipment to ship to both of these locations, I have started a go fund me page, where people can donate to help us ship the soccer supplies to Zambia and Nicaragua. If you can, a donation would be greatly appreciated and accepted! The link for the page is: https://www.gofundme.com/uu4pd4z4

We didn’t have an initial goal for the project, but Spark Ventures needs around 170 uniforms and an assortment of other soccer equipment, which we’ve already exceeded this goal and have collected hundreds of uniforms already!  This project has taught me a lot about youth driven philanthropy, and how much power the youth have in our community. AfG has taught me the value of not only service and giving back to the community, but also the value of connecting with people and utilizing the resources that are available to me. For young people like me, I would encourage you to utilize the resources around you and make connections with people that will inspire you to inspire others. Thank you AfG and Spark Ventures!