Jumpstart Our Youth (JOY)

Learning the JOY of giving

JMG is collaborating with the Unity Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation, and the Unitel Corporation to teach middle and high school students about the value of hands-on community commitment and the principles of "smart" philanthropy through a program called Jumpstart Our Youth (JOY). For the fourth year in a row, and thanks to the generosity of the Unity Foundation, JMG programs throughout Maine will each be given $1,000 to donate to a local charity of their choosing that serves youth. Students will spend several months during the school year reviewing grant proposals, interviewing nonprofit applicants, and finally making the difficult decision about who gets the money.

The goal of the JOY program is to teach the students about the critical role these charities play in meeting overwhelming community needs, and to drive home the fact that community service includes hands-on work as well as thoughtful grant making and stewardship.

The JOY program is having a meaningful impact on both the students involved and the people of Maine. Here's how:

• 3,324 students participated in the JOY program during the 2010-2011 school year; and
• they spent 19,373 hours planning, researching, and grant making.
• Between 2009 and 2011, students raised an additional $10,090 in funds (above the $1,000 that each program was given by the Unity Foundation) to increase their financial support to grant recipients.
• Over the first three years of the JOY program, a grand total of $181,754 (Unity Foundation money plus student-raised money) was given by JMG students to non-profit organizations in Maine.

For more information about the JOY program, please visit the Jumpstart Our Youth website.

JOY in the news:

School-based program teaches kids basics of philanthropy (pdf)
by Larry Sterrs, Maine Compass - July 2, 2011

Area JMG students participate in JOY initiative (pdf)
by Joyce Scott, Calais Advertiser - June 2, 2011

High schoolers help spruce up Camp CaPella (pdf)
WABI TV 5 - May 23, 2011

Students at Mountain View Youth Development Center learn value of philanthropy with gift to Pine Tree Hospice (pdf)
by Diana Bowley, Bangor Daily News - May 4, 2011