On a Monday evening in November, nearly 200 seventh-through 12th-graders listened to Anchorage nonprofits talk about their mission at a Youth Philanthropy Alaska meeting.
The meeting was similar to ABC’s “Shark Tank”, but instead of entrepreneurs pitching business ideas to rich investors, nonprofits pitched their causes to kids who each brought $10 to give. Representatives from three organizations gave brief presentations about why the kids should vote for them to receive the funds.
Grace Yang is a sophomore from West High School who attended the meeting. The 15-year-old said it’s easy to feel like you can’t do much to spread awareness about different causes as a young person. But when you band together, you’re able to make a bigger impact, Yang said.
“YPA is an especially easy way to make a difference,” she said. “When you have hundreds of kids in one room all bringing $10, it builds up so much. The more people standing up for an issue, the more influence you’re going to have.”…