Youth Making Change

A grant-making committee, whose members range in age from 13 to 18, celebrated the climax of its first grant cycle last week by disbursing $10,000 to five other youth-led projects-and then partying down at the Twelve35 Teen Center, which is celebrating its second birthday this month. Youth Making Change awarded $2,000 to create a teen club by aesthetically and structurally remodeling a room at the Westside Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Clubhouse; and almost $3,000 to create soccer and basketball venues for junior high youth who can’t afford league sports. The remaining $5,000 was divided among a MusicBox Concert Series to provide a live music venue for youth, and two-day camps focusing on self-esteem, respect for others, and decision-making. Youth Making Change, begun in 2008, is itself a project of the Fund for Santa Barbara-now celebrating a quarter century of its motto, Change Not Charity.