Jun. 17, 2010

In 2005, the Lawson Foundation awarded London Community Foundation with a grant in honour Miggsie Lawson's memory with the intention that it be used to recognize her love for the London community.  After some community consultation, London Community Foundation determined that generous grant would be used to focus on youth leadership at the neighbourhood level.

The Youth Engaging in Society (YES) Initiative was developed to provide community-based programming for youth aged 10-15 years. This particular grant program was part of London Community Foundation’s strategy to invest in neighbourhood building.

 The focus and intent of YES was to invest in a community development model to:

•  Invest in a community development model allowing youth to gain a multitude of learnings and practical experiences to facilitate a better understanding of their community;
• Enhance youths ability to contribute to improving the quality of life in their neighbourhoods;
• Inspire youths to volunteer and be supportive of their neighbourhoods.

 This report is based on the information collected for the Youth Engaging in Society (YES) Project interim and annual evaluation reports written between April 2007 and September 2009. Additional information for this report was gathered in November and December 2009.