Want results for your donation? Here’s Hiyan (and Hermes and…)
By Jayne O'Donnell
Youthcast Media Group®
Youthcast Media Group® was the first program Hiyan Daniels learned of in which “young people have a voice over issues that are affecting them and their communities.” The Philadelphia High School for Girls junior felt “heard” and that older people were talking, listening and “opening up for our conversation.”
Since we first met at a spring 2023 Philadelphia conference where YMG presented and had a table at the high school career fair, this student and our nonprofit have been nearly inseparable! Hiyan has participated in three YMG programs, been an active participant in our social media Creators Club, had two articles published by the public radio news site, Billy Penn, and has another from an “independent study” that’s almost ready for us to pitch to publications. Hiyan, who uses they/them pronouns, is now weighing a career in medicine with one in journalism.
I’m hereby calling this article the official kick-off of our 2024 Giving Season! After all, if you want results for your donations, we can’t do much better than to introduce you to this amazing young person. On October 16, a social post of Hiyan making these comments and more during our September 18 board meeting will post on our social media channels.
Just as Hiyan was speaking to our board, we were working on an application for a grant focused on reducing youth pressure to do well in school, have a career plan and make a difference. They’ve gotten one-on-one and group instruction in reporting and writing from journalists at some of the top publications in the country and have been published about critical topics such as the 988 emergency line. And we’ve introduced new options for a career path that’s all the brighter with the high-level experience Hiyan’s received.
Without even trying to, they helped us answer the proposal questions. So we made a video combining the board meeting presentation with some reporting - and speaking up - Hiyan did with me at a decriminalization of mental illness summit in Philly this spring. We submitted it with the proposal but you can listen for yourself here!
Our longtime intern Hermes Falcon also powerfully shared his multifaceted journey with YMG in a video he filmed and edited for the proposal. Please watch it here.
We think we have a pretty good chance of getting that grant, which is for general support, so we can continue offering our programs…and keep the lights on. Even though we’re a virtual organization and everyone pays their own electric bill (!), operations costs for insurance, bookkeeping and payroll services aren’t covered in full by the grants we get for our paid training programs. More general support - like YOUR potential donations - also helps pay for travel so we can recruit more young people like Hiyan and Hermes. And here’s a reminder from Hiyan about why that is so important.
“I am really grateful that somewhere like YMG even took the time to come to Philly because had you not been at that summit trying to reach out to people I never would have even heard about you guys, I never would have expanded my perspective how I have now (and) I never would have been published. You guys are huge on my resume right now!”
To help us make a difference as we help more young people like Hiyan and Hermes do so, please donate HERE.
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