Youth Action Council Retreats to Move Ahead

Working together cooperatively and collaboratively is a hallmark of the Youth Action Council (YAC), and the team got a head start during their November 6 retreat. Twenty youth from 11 communities gathered at the MetroWest YMCA Family Outdoor Center in Hopkinton to take part in a variety of activities designed to build trust and encourage respect for each others’ opinions.

“The YAC retreat follows the first two meetings and is a great jumping-off point,” says Jennifer Ubaldino, Youth In Philanthropy coordinator. “Working together in this manner helps the students get to know each other better and form relationships outside a regular session.”

After 3 hours of cooperative activities that included Low Ropes, Trust Walk, and Where’s My Bat?, the group described their 3-hour experience as “challenging”, “awesome”, and “fun”.

Over the course of the next 7 months, Youth Action Council members will perform service projects, raise funds, visit and learn about nonprofits, and evaluate grant requests. The group will make their grant recommendations to the Foundation for MetroWest Board of Trustees, and present checks to the organizations they have chosen to fund in May 2012.

The Youth Action Council is part of the Foundation’s Youth In Philanthropy program designed to empower youth to impact their communities.