Ashland Students Join Youth in Philanthropy Junior Board

January 16, 2018 (Natick, MA) — The Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program, which provides middle and high school students with educational and philanthropic opportunities, announced that Griffin Palefsky, a senior at Advanced Math and Science Academy and Neha Shabeer, a junior at Ashland High School, have joined the organization’s newly created Junior Board.

Designed for graduates of YIP, the Junior Board serves to fulfill YIP’s vision of creating the MetroWest community’s next generation of philanthropists and leaders, and involves this group in various aspects of decision-making related to the program, such as building awareness and recruiting students to the program.

Through the YIP program, MetroWest students research local organizations and award $10,000 in grants, and no fees or tuition are required to participate. Over the past two decades, YIP has educated more than 1,250 teens who have granted more than $1 million to youth development organizations in the MetroWest area.

Griffin is currently serving on the fundraising committee of the YIP Junior Board. Aside from his responsibilities through YIP, he is a member of his school’s 3-season track team, serves on student council and participates in the drama club. His family’s commitment to philanthropy and desire to help those who are less fortunate led to his decision to join the Junior Board.

“Several of my family members have been involved in philanthropy and I always thought it would be nice to carry on the family legacy,” said Griffin. “The feeling that you get when you know you have helped someone in need is so rewarding. Participating in YIP is hard work but helping the less fortunate makes it all worth while.”

Neha is currently serving as chair of the YIP Junior Board marketing committee. Aside from her responsibilities through YIP, she is President and co-founder of Breaking the Barriers, a community leadership club at Ashland High School, a member of Student Council and a monthly columnist for Ashland Local Town Pages. She credits her YIP experience for her decision to join the Junior Board, which she saw as an opportunity to continue engaging with, and giving back to, her community.

"I'm interested in philanthropy because of the profound and life changing effects it has on others’ lives. It is really easy to forget about your privilege when you’re not seeing poverty and hardship in your environment every day,” said Neha. “The MetroWest community has many hidden needs that are often overlooked and tucked away. While there is a lot to tackle, I’m thankful to be part of a group that is so dedicated to making lasting change in our community!”

“We’ve always been so invested in preparing this next generation of philanthropists, and yet we didn’t have a platform for them to assist us in doing that,” said Renee Quinn, Senior Philanthropy Officer at the Foundation for MetroWest and overseer of the YIP Junior Board. “So, we started to think about how we would do that- what was the best way? With this new initiative, they’re now an integral part of our organization.”

The YIP Junior Board is aiming to meet a fundraising goal of $10,000 by the end of next June. To learn more about how student groups involved in YIP programs across the region have made positive impacts on the MetroWest community, visit www.yipmetrowest.org.

About Youth in Philanthropy

Since 1997, the Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy program has been inspiring youth to give back and to truly become invested in the MetroWest community. Key to the future success of our region, we are proud to offer one of the largest youth philanthropy education programs in the country that has educated more than 1,250 teens who have granted $1.1 M to over 140 youth development organizations in our backyard.