In Youth We Trust Council, the youth philanthropy program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, is looking for new members to join the Council for its 26th year! Established with a grant from the Ford Foundation in 1994 and endowed by a local donor, this program teaches grantmaking, volunteerism, and leadership skills to today’s youth, preparing them to be the positive change of tomorrow.

The IYWT Council is made up of high school-aged students from Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. Council members learn about leadership, community engagement, and philanthropy from guest speakers and by direct management of a grant process that this year will distribute up to $40,000 to community projects that benefit youth. The Council meets one Saturday a month from September - May. Meetings are 2 - 3 hours and it is anticipated that most meetings will be offered virtually, which means that whether students live in Rockford, Freeport, Belvidere, or Rochelle, their "commute time" to meetings will be the same!

Students who are interested in learning more about IYWT are invited to attend the annual Kickoff Meeting to meet current Council members and learn more about IYWT. The (virtual!) Kickoff Meeting will be held Saturday, September 19, at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. Students who are interested in attending should email CFNIL staff liaison to IYWT, Ciara Stahly, at cstahly@cfnil.org to confirm their attendance and receive the meeting login details.

Full details about the In Youth We Trust Council and new member applications may be found online at https://cfnil.org/iywt. Applications are due October 1st.