Youth opportunities

Pay It Forward Foundation Mini-Grants for Youth
http://payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/grant.html
Deadline: September 15, 2008

Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus — that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially — to be considered for a mini-grant. Grants of up to $500 are available.

Do Something “Increase Your Green” School Competition
http://www.dosomething.org/increaseyourgreen
Deadline: Register by October 13, 2008; Competition ends December 8, 2008; Final report by December 15, 2008

Participants must make concrete efforts towards reducing the environmental impact of their middle or high school during the eight week competition. All initiatives must be youth designed and led. The main judging categories are: energy saved; garbage reduced, recycled and reused; number of people involved/impacted; and innovative quality of actions and ideas. The first-place prize to the school is a $1500 grant, banner, plaque and eco-friendly gift bags (up to thirty). There will also be three second place prizes of $500.

Digital Media and Learning Competition
http://www.dmlcompetition.net/
Deadline: October 15, 2008

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with several other organizations, is sponsoring an open-call competition that will provide $2 million in awards to innovators shaping the field of digital media and learning, focusing on young innovators aged from 18 to 25. Awards will be given in two categories:

1. Innovation in Participatory Learning Awards will support projects that demonstrate new modes of participatory learning, in which people take part in virtual communities, share ideas, comment on one another's projects, and advance goals together. Successful projects will promote participatory learning in a variety of environments: through the creation of new digital tools, modification of existing ones, or use of digital media in some other novel way. Submissions will be accepted from applicants in Canada, People's Republic of China, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Winners will receive between $30,000 and $250,000 each.

2. Young Innovator Awards are designed to encourage young people aged 18-25 to think boldly about "what comes next" in participatory learning and to contribute to making it happen. Winners will receive funding to do an internship with a sponsor organization to help bring their most visionary ideas from the "garage" stage to implementation. For this competition cycle, submissions will only be accepted from applicants in the United States. Winners will receive between $5,000 and $30,000 each.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
http://www.prudential.com/spirit/
Deadline: October 31, 2008

These awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial and administered by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, honor middle and high school students for volunteer community service. Eligible applicants include any young person in the United States who is in grades five through twelve and who has engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred at least partly during the 12 months prior to the date of application. Local honorees are selected in November, and from these winners two state honorees are chosen in each state and the District of Columbia. Out of the state honorees, ten national honorees are selected and announced at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in May of 2009.

Nestle Very Best in Youth Program
http://www.nestle-verybestinyouth.com/AboutVBINY.aspx
Deadline: November 20, 2008

This award honors young people (ages 13 to 18) who have excelled in school and who are making their community and the world a better place. The young people, selected from nominations from volunteers, parents, and teachers, will be featured in a special publication and honored at a black-tie ceremony in Los Angeles in July 2009. Twenty-five outstanding youth will be selected based on the information provided on the entry form (i.e., strong academic record; special contribution to school, church, or community; demonstration of good citizenship or a personal obstacle the youth has overcome). Each winner will be profiled in a book and receive a trip with his/her parent or legal guardian to Los Angeles for the Nestlé Very Best In Youth awards ceremony. The trip will include round-trip air travel, hotel accommodations for three nights, and $500 in spending money. In addition, Nestlé will donate $1,000 in the name of each winner to the charity of his or her choice.

Valvoline Automotive Technical Scholarship
http://www.valvoline.com/pages/prizezone/
Deadline: December 1, 2008

Valvoline is giving away a total of $15,000 to men and women 16 to 25 planning on attending or already attending an accredited automotive technical institution or vocational technical institution. The prize is not related to financial need and is provided directly to the school. One prize winner will be drawn on July 15, 2008; the others will be drawn on August 15, 2008; September 15, 2008; October 15, 2008; and November 15, 2008. Shortly after December 1, 2008, one entrant will receive the Grand Prize of a $10,000 scholarship. All who enter are eligible for the Grand Prize, so if you didn’t win in the first drawing, you are still eligible for the Grand Prize.

Do Something Plum Grant
http://www.dosomething.org/plum_youth_grant_application
Deadline: None

These $500 grants are given weekly to youth age 25 and younger who have created a sustainable community action project, program or organization. Grant applications stay active for consideration for three months after submission.

Surdna Foundation Effective Citizenry Grants
http://www.surdna.org/programs/programs_show.
htm?doc_id=326357&attrib_id=12039
Deadline: None

The goal of the Effective Citizenry program is to support young people to take action with others to address meaningful problems in their schools, neighborhoods, and the larger society. To accomplish this goal, the Surdna Foundation funds efforts that help young people (primarily teenagers and young adults) be effective, problem-solving citizens today; improve practices and performance of organizations that help young people move through leadership development and into productive action; and develop networks that can anchor and expand a field of effective citizenry through building and advancing theory, research, documentation, training, technical support, and policies. The program supports young people taking direct action and strengthening the infrastructure for meaningful youth involvement.

Ohio Youth Advisory Council
Deadline: None
This is an opportunity for young people (ages 16 to 22) from across Ohio to serve on the U.S. Public Service Academy’s Ohio Youth Advisory Council. Council members will play an integral role in helping design the Academy, spread the word about our initiative, and convince members of Congress to pass the legislation.

Join by completing a short application, http://uspublicserviceacademy.org/StateYACinformation.doc

If authorized by Congress, the U.S. Public Service Academy will be America’s first national civilian university, a flagship institution designed to build a “more perfect union” by developing leaders of character dedicated to service in the public sector. Modeled on the military service academies, the Public Service Academy will provide a rigorous undergraduate education followed by five years of civilian service to the country. It will develop young leaders with the character, intellect, and experience necessary to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.