Youth Venture

I am the President and founder of the StarMight Foundation, a 501-c3 non-profit organization that educates and empowers young people to align their passions with volunteer service to create positive change in their communities. Based in New Hampshire and founded in 2002 as my senior portfolio project at my high school, the StarMight Foundation connects youth. to service projects, unites young volunteers, and provides resources and support for youth created service projects. My lifetime commitment to community service began when I started volunteering at 9 years old and I organized a sweater drive in my school, a project that continues to run annually in New England. Since that time I have organized numerous community service projects that have raised well over $100,000.00 to benefit local, state and national organizations supporting people in need.

Most recently, I served as the director for the very first NH Youth Conference on Volunteerism produced by youth for youth. The 2006 Youth Conference on Volunteerism was held in November of 2006 for over 120 youth participants, 18 youth service organizations and featured workshops, keynote speakers, presentations by NH Congressmen, a recognition program and a whole lot of fun! Growing up in my small hometown, when I wanted to volunteer as a middle school student, I quickly found a great lack of opportunity. I also began to see that I was not the only young person in my community who wanted to volunteer. They also found several obstacles keeping them from realizing their potential to help others. The first obstacle was that most young people didn't know how to get started. The second was a lack of opportunity in adult volunteer organizations for youth volunteers. The third was the absence of a non-profit specifically acting to help young people find ways to volunteer. I soon discovered that these obstacles encompassed the entire youth community, not simply the one I lived in. After years of starting projects and programs for myself and other students in my community and beyond, I decided to take the challenge of empowering others to volunteer and make it easier. I envisioned developing a conference specifically for youth about volunteerism, which would serve as an opportunity for networking between young people and NH youth service organizations. In 2005, I discovered Youth Venture and began the initiative called the New Hampshire Board of Youth Volunteers, to plan and implement this first-ever conference about volunteerism in NH designed BY youth FOR youth. The success and impact of this event has had a massive ripple effect, reaching far beyond just the youth who attended the conference. By bringing together 18 youth service organizations at this conference the NHBYV has Made Life Easier for NH young people, schools, and non-profit organizations all seeking the opportunity to work together to benefit the community. At last, students and organizations alike have one place to converge in to all finally work together rather than independently for the same goals.

For more information on booking please call 603-664-9983 or email starmightfoundation@hotmail.com.

• I have started a venture and want to share insights
• I want to reach out to YV alumni

Community Development, Community Organizing, Mentoring, Youth Empowerment