Grants Available: Prevention of Youth Drug and Alcohol Use, Peer to Peer Issues

The HCCF’s Youth Advisory Council would like to use the results from our recent Needs Assessment Survey of our area youth to make a difference in our community through our grant making opportunities! We are looking for organizations involved in the prevention of issues surrounding youth drug and alcohol use, as well as peer-to-peer issues such as bullying. We would like to be in touch with these organizations in order to determine where our grant funds can be best allocated to meet the needs of Huron County’s youth. Please contact our YAC Advisor, Emily Polega at yac@huroncounty.com by May 8th with a description of your organization and a contact person if you would be interested in being considered for grant funds from the YAC this year.

These were the results of a Needs Assessment survey that asked Huron County 7th, 9th, and 11th graders what the biggest issue was in their community. 

2015 Needs Assessment

The Huron County Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee is performing a survey of the needs of Huron County youth this spring. This assessment will be taken by 7th, 9th, and 11th graders county-wide to have youth voices express the biggest issues facing young people in our county.  Results will be published Spring/Summer 2015. 

When instructed to do so, please select the button below corresponding to your school and grade. Take the survey with complete honesty; it is anonymous and no one will be tracking your answers.

Again, please select your school and your grade when instructed to do so. 

YAC Surveying Youth

The Huron County Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is prepped and ready for a large undertaking: surveying every 7th, 9th, and 11th grade student in the county. Just like the Foundation surveyed community stakeholders in 2014 to hear about the role the Foundation should play in Huron County's future, the YAC is taking on the same task for area youth! Every three years, YACs across the state of Michigan perform "Needs Assessments" of their local students. The HCCF YAC customized an online survey, taking under 10 minutes to complete, that asks the students about issues like alcohol, drugs, peer to peer relationships, and technology resources. The Needs Assessment is important to the YAC because it will help determine their awareness projects for the next three years and help them allocate their grant dollars.

The YAC is comprised of students from each of Huron County's high schools. These YAC students will be administering the survey in their schools. This truly is about the YAC students wanting to know what issues are facing Huron County teens and how this group can best help to bring awareness to those issues. The YAC is led by their new advisor, Emily Polega, and will be approaching school administrators soon to start the process. Polega said, "I am excited to take on the role of YAC advisor and look forward to working with the YAC students to help guide them in their grant making and programming to meet the needs of our area youth." Upon completion of the survey, results will be published on the Foundation's website, in a press release, and disseminated back to the school administrators of participating schools.  Huron County Community Foundation Executive Director Mackenzie Price noted, "This is a great opportunity for our YAC to get the honest opinions of their peers on issues high school students face every day and give their classmates a chance to be heard." Check back for survey results in Spring 2015.

Cardboard City - 2014

The YAC is excited to announce that it's time for Cardboard City! Huron County youth will be sleeping outside, on the lawn of the Huron County Courthouse, to raise awareness for homelessness in Huron County. This year's event will begin the evening of November 7, 2014 and end the morning of November 8th.  Last year, 100 students participated in this awareness event, each raising $25 in pledges. We are hoping for an even larger event this year! All funds raised from this event will be added to the YAC fund for upcoming awareness initiatives and community service projects.

Click the button below to check out the 2014 Cardboard City packet for more details, consent forms, and pledge sheets!