YoPhI Wraps Up Year

The 2021-22 Lou and Sybil Mervis Youth Philanthropy Indy (YoPhI) Teen Board program is wrapping up their year of learning with a year-end celebration on Sunday, May 15.

The YoPhI Teen Board is comprised of Jewish 11th and 12th graders from the greater Indianapolis area working as a philanthropic board focused on learning and making grants through a values-grounded, authentic, consensus-building process. YoPhI (Hebrew slang for “excellent” or “good job”) is focused on engaging Jewish youth in “Doing Good” through philanthropic giving and service learning based on Jewish values and community connection. 
During their year-long experience, YoPhI Teen Board members engage in an in-depth examination of their Jewish values and understanding while raising funds to make grants in order to explore philanthropy and group process.

The YoPhI Teen Board is proud to be a part of the Honeycomb Foundation Board Incubator Cohort 4. This group began meeting in September 2021, successfully navigating COVID restrictions, their busy lives and changes in professional leadership without skipping a beat in meeting their mission of raising and allocating funds to strengthen the community.

The success of this program rests on the participants’ abilities to build consensus and work as a team.  Each year the participants create a mission statement that then drives their fundraising, requests for proposals and subsequent allocations. This year, the group chose combatting antisemitism and hate with a focus on proposals that a) support youth and teens and/or b) build resilient communities and support positive mental health for those affected. 
Many thanks to the Mervis family for their support of this program and to David Heilbron, the former Director of Youth Philanthropy and Connection, for developing this incredible opportunity to engage our teens in learning and philanthropy. And most of all, thanks to the teens who made this year a success: Yael Ehrlich, Sam Geyer, Leah Goldstein, William Kurlander, Sam McGill, Solly Mervis, Ian Paskoff and EJ Shemesh.

Interested in applying for the 2022-2023 YoPhI Teen Board cohort? Take this opportunity to learn more about the program! Applications to join the Lou & Sybil Mervis YoPhI Teen Board for the upcoming school year will be available in late spring. Contact Margo Fox at mfox@jfgi.org to learn more or visit https://jewishindianapolis.org/yophi-teen-board to review the application.

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