Do you have an idea that would make Kenosha County a better place?  Are you looking for an opportunity to practice service learning, develop leadership skills, and rack up volunteer hours?  If so, read on!

Kenosha County’s Youth As Resources (YAR) Board is gearing up for a new year of helping kids and teens make a difference in their community.  Any Kenosha County resident in grades K-12 can apply to receive up to $500 for a community service project

You can use this money to help support…

• Eagle Scout Service Projects for Scouting America
• Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award projects
• Projects for school clubs, like Key Club or National Honor Society
• Youth group initiatives
• Class projects that focus on service learning
• An idea you came up completely on your own!

YAR has thousands of dollars to give away this year!  There are four grant rounds, so you can get started immediately or make plans to apply later in the year:

How exactly does this work?

It’s SUPER simple: 

1. Be a Kenosha County resident in grades K-12 (yes, kindergartners count!), or a youth group in the same age group.  (School clubs, classrooms, and other youth group organizations are all welcome to apply.)
2. Think of a need you’ve seen in the community - unhoused people who might be cold at night, shelter animals in need of toys, fellow kids without enough to eat, etc.
   1. Need some ideas to get started?  Check here.
3. Think of a way you can help, then fill out and submit the grant application.
4. Present your idea to the YAR Board, who will then vote on the amount of money they’d like to award you.
5. Use that money to complete your service project, documenting the process along the way.
6. Submit a summary of your project, including photos, stories, statistics, and whatever else you want to include, so the YAR Board can see what you did!

What are some projects that YAR has funded in the past?

YAR grants have helped local youth complete the following projects:

• KPL’s Little Free Food Pantries, which provide food and hygiene products to anyone who needs them
• Materials to teach classmates how to make friendship bracelets and build community across language barriers at Washington Middle School
• Jaxson’s Toy Drive, providing holiday cheer (and toys!) for children who otherwise wouldn’t receive any
• “Doggy bag” gifts for families who adopted a dog from ALIVE Rescue
• A Little Free Library for Lakeview Technology Academy, which doesn’t have a full library
• Spring break snack bags for elementary schoolers experiencing food insecurity
• Plants and decorations for Archwood Senior Living, to give comfort to residents who miss gardening

As you can see, no project is too small (or too big!), as long as you’re passionate about making it happen.  YAR board members are thrilled to support any youth-led initiative that benefits Kenosha County.

More About YAR

Youth as Resources (YAR) is a teen-run grant-giving program that awards grants of up to $500 to kids and teens interested in doing service projects to benefit Kenosha County.  Any Kenosha County resident in grades K-12 can brainstorm a way to help the community, ask for money, and make a real change for their neighbors. You can read more about the organization’s history here.

While YAR is not a KPL initiative, one of the adult board members is a KPL librarian.  (That’s me, Miss Amy Rae!)  And here at KPL, we love that the United Way of Kenosha County and UW Extension Kenosha County have empowered youth to build strong ties with other Kenoshans for many years.

Want more information? Camille Carlson, the YAR coordinator, can tell you more about getting involved!  Email her at camille.carlson@wisc.edu.