Selected 2009 Youth Funding Grants

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  $20,000
  Support for peer mentoring program, in which high school students mentor elementary school students in a structured and supportive program managed by BBBS staff.

• Danby Youth Services, Danby, CT
  $7,000
  Program support for Girls As Leaders (GAL’s Club), providing a safe and comfortable environment for middle schools girls to improve their self-confidence, develop the skills needed to successfully transition into high school, and progress toward their academic and vocational aspirations.

• Groundwork Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
  $20,000
  Program support for the Green Team, an environmental and leadership training program for Bridgeport high school students.  Participants receive job training and earn a stipend throughout the summer as a member of a landscaping business, while developing a range of employment and educational skills.

• MetroCenter YMCA, Seattle, WA
  $20,000
  Funding for the Y Girls program, whose mission is to “empower middle school girls with the self-confidence to lead, the generosity of spirit to give back to their communities, and the awareness to live healthy and balanced lives.”

• Partners In Restorative Initiatives, Rochester, NY
  $15,000
  Support to provide 2-week training to a group of Monroe High School students on restorative practices during Summer 2009.  The students will become peer mediators, working alongside teachers and administrators during the school year to utilize restorative practices to positively impact the culture and learning environment at Monroe H.S.

• Ralphola Taylor Community Center, Bridgeport, CT
  $20,000
  Funding for 6-week summer day camp program, with special focus on middle-school youth who are particularly at-risk or have previously engaged in negative behaviors.

• Stamford Sailing Foundation, Stamford, CT
  $10,000
  Support for Blue Water Bound program that provides summer sailing instruction to 40 low-income youth 5 days a week, 7 hours per day for 5 weeks.  Students develop math, science, geography and ecology skills through learning about navigation, tides and currents, stars, weather and the ecosystems of Long Island Sound.