As we count down the moments till 2012, we reflect on how amazing this past year has
been at Youthlinc and for communities here and across the globe. Whether through your donation, your hours of serving others, or your encouragement and support for humanitarianism, your impact has changed lives.
In particular, we have some Youthlinc superstars that we’d like to raise our glass to and thank for their contributions. Youthlinc would not be the
organization it is today without these folks.
Mae Chin
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| Mae & her 3-generation Youthlinc family! |
How do YOU spend your coveted Saturday mornings? Our guess is that you aren’t doing database work. But for our dear Mae Chin, she has sacrificed
countless Saturday mornings to maintain our database. The work is far from glamorous, yet Mae's efforts have played an
essential role in our day-to-day operations.
Mae, her daughter, and her granddaughter have been involved with Youthlinc since 2010. Mae reflects on why she got involved: “Whenever I'm in the Youthlinc office, I am aware of the energy generated
there. It's the same devotion that instills awareness of global needs and trains
our youth to serve as ambassadors. How can one not feel privileged to be a part
of this mission?”
It has been our privilege to work with Mae, and we extend our sincerest thanks to her for being Youthlinc’s behind-the-scenes
MVP and database guru.
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| Colton & microenterprise participants - Cambodia |
Colton Matheson & Erin Grieve
As many of you have discovered, there can be lots of changes in Youthlinc Land. Our international approaches and activities evolve as we become
more reflexive of the villages we visit, and learn of practices that
truly empower people. This year, a group came together to improve our microenterprise program. We'd like to recognize two team members, Colton
Matheson (2011 Cambodia team) and Erin Grieve (2011 Kenya team) who went above and beyond in advancing our microenterprise
program, and introducing new practices to the Youthlinc program.
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| Erin in her element! - Kenya |
Spend a few minutes studying microenterprise, and you'll quickly learn that although microenterprise can be a very successful approach in alleviating poverty, it is quite complex. For this reason, we're lucky to have had Colton &
Erin dedicate many hours researching, considering and articulating what might work
best for our future teams. Thanks to these two, and the many others who contributed their
ideas, our 2012 teams now have a comprehensive and concise guide to microenterprise, and
how to make a lasting economic and social impact internationally. The efforts made this year to improve the microenterprise program will undoubtedly make a huge impact for years to come.
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| Scott in Kenya with a couple team members |
Scott Bawden & Britnie Powell
Okay, okay, we confess: we're obsessed with Scott Bawden and
Britnie Powell (and dare we say, they are a bit obsessed with us too?!). As our ongoing Youthlinc
Team Leaders, and some of the most thoughtful, progressive and compassionate people
in the world, we cannot not express
our gratitude for what they contribute to Youthlinc. They've worked extremely hard to be the excellent leaders that they are. The ripple effect of their positive energy, year after year, is mind boggling!
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| Britnie on one of her many adventures |
For those of you that have had the fortune of working side-by-side Scott or Britnie, we know you'll agree: they are true humanitarians. We are honored to have Scott and Brit in Youthlinc Land, as they continually inspire us and teach us how to better serve others.
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So, as we ring in the new year, we celebrate our superstars and each one of you who made 2011 an epic year in Youthlinc history. May we build on our momentum and do even more great things in 2012!
Cheers to all of you.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
