About Us
The Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program |
Created, developed, and administered by teens, this nonprofit program empowers young people to take action by funding youth-driven projects that reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and/or save energy. The goal of the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program is to challenge area youth to use their skills, creativity and energy to help make Carmel / Clay Township in Indiana a greener, more sustainable community.
In 2009, the makers of Green Works natural cleaners created the Green Heroes program to identify and fund five eco-friendly community projects across the country. Through this program, the local youth group Carmel Area Roots & Shoots was awarded $10,000 to fund its eco-friendly project called the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program. Although this initial funding was exhausted in 2011, the City of Carmel and Carmel Utilities have partnered with us to support the program, allowing us to continue to educate the Carmel community and empower our youth. Almost 95% of our budget goes directly to funding the environmental youth projects. Thus far, the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program has funded 37 hands-on, youth-driven green projects to help make Carmel / Clay Township a greener, more sustainable community. Together, these funded projects have:
For these clear impacts and for its impact on young people and other citizens around Carmel, the program and its board members have been honored with several awards, including:
Because of the program's success, we have created this grant package in hopes of spreading the impacts, both on the environment and on young people, of this program, helping make new communities greener, one youth project at a time. |
The City of Carmel and Carmel Utilities |
The Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program gives sincere thanks to Carmel Utilities and the City of Carmel, our current sponsors. With a population of over 79,000 residents, the city of Carmel, Indiana, located just north of Indianapolis, is committed to promoting environmental stewardship through community education. The City of Carmel has been recognized for its many environmental initiatives, including its numerous gas saving roundabouts, hybrid city vehicles, LED street lamps, and more. The Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program thanks our city for its generous support and dedication to both the environment and to the youth of Carmel.
|
Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots |
The Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen—for our people, for animals and for the environment. With tens of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe. The group of young people behind the founding of the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program was one of the many Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots groups leading service learning projects around the globe. The program would not have been created without the inspiration from and support of the Roots & Shoots network, so we thank them for their help.
|
United Way of Central Indiana's Youth as Resources |
United Way of Central Indiana’s Youth as Resources (UWCI YAR) is a youth philanthropy program that gives money, through small grants, for youth-led volunteer service projects. They fund only youth groups (with nonprofit sponsors) that design and implement projects that address real community needs. United Way of Central Indiana’s Youth as Resources’ mission is to promote learning through youth service, leadership and civic participation.
Although it does not fund the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program, United Way of Central Indiana’s Youth as Resources provides the necessary knowledge and support for this youth-driven project. Many of our documents were developed from UWCI YAR's resources, which they graciously provided to us when our program was first being created. Youth as Resources is a program of United Way of Central Indiana, and serves Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, and Morgan counties. For more information regarding Youth as Resources of Central Indiana, please visit their website at http://www.uwci.org/yar. |