Community Enrichment Delegate Program from Youth Squad®

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This pin and all program supplies are available from our partner site MakingFriends®.com.

Suggested Group Activity

FreeKidsCrafts.com has a printable to make reading-list bookmarks. Give them to a library, a school, a shelter or a hospital. You can also give them as a thank you gift to people who donate books you your cause.

Reading List Bookmark for your community enrichment delegate — pin

Suggested Prerequisite

Youth Squad® Enrichment Advocate Patch — **Community Enrichment Advocate**

Completing the Community Enrichment Advocate Patch Program® is a suggested prerequisite for earning your Community Enrichment Delegate Pin. Your advocate experience will help provide you with the knowledge needed to become a delegate for enrichment in your community. You can also opt to complete the Community Enrichment Advocate requirements during the time you earn this Delegate pin.

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Requirement 1: Choose It!

Points to Consider When Choosing a Community Enrichment Service Project:

What is placemaking? Helpful Link: What is placemaking?
How can you get young people involved in your community? Helpful Link: Here’s how to get young people invested in their communities
What can be done in your community benefit young people? Helpful Link: Keeping Adolescents Engaged: What Can After-School Programs Do?
Is teen unemployment high? Helpful Link: Youth Unemployment Rate, Figures by State
Why are teens unemployed? Helpful Link: Why do teenagers have the highest unemployment rate in the economy?
Why is youth employment important for your community? Helpful Link: Youth Unemployment
How can more jobs be created? Introducing the Systems Approach

What is youth disconnection? Helpful Link: Youth Disconnection
What happens to disconnected youth? Helpful Link: The Lingering Effects of Youth Experiencing Disconnection
What can be done in your community about disconnected youth? Helpful Link: Engaging “Disconnected” Youths to Prevent Lives of Isolation, Poverty, and Ill Health
What about the youth crime? Helpful Link: Prevention & Early Intervention

Some Ideas:

Turn a vacant lot into a basketball court.
Set up an art exhibit center at your library for local artists.
Set up a job fair for youths in your community.
Create a mentoring program for teens with local entrepreneurs.
Get local businesses to grant apprenticeships to teens.
Organize job-readiness workshops for teens to prepare themselves for interviews and job retention.

Organize for the building or restoration of a community center.
Build a graffiti wall in your neighborhood.
Update a park to make it safer.

Project considerations:

What are your skills and talents?
Do you need a mentor or adviser? Who will it be?
Will there be legal or permit issues to resolve?
How many others can you recruit to help?
Will your volunteers need special skills or training?
How many hours can you devote to the project?
Will there be a project deadline?
How much money will you be able to raise for the project?
Can you get a sponsor to help with the costs?

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Requirement 2: Plan it!

Goal Setting

Setting goals will help give you a long-term vision and short-term motivation. It helps you to organize your thoughts and determine exactly what needs to be done.

Decide exactly what you want to accomplish and give your project a name.
Break it down into smaller steps.
Set up a timeline.

Recruit Volunteers

Although smaller projects can be done alone, many projects will require a team. As the project delegate, one of your most important roles will be building a successful team. Helpful Link: 7 Super Steps to Recruit Volunteers.

Find a mentor with experience in your project area.
Enlist an Advocate to help you recruit volunteers. Consider using a volunteer release form especially if you are working with children. Helpful Link: Volunteer Release Form
Decide which jobs you can do alone.
Will you have teams?
How many people will you need for each team?

Take a look at the table below to get you started. You can copy and paste the table to use as a template for your project. You can set up an account for free or use your own method for organization.

Budgeting

Budgeting allows you to create a spending plan for your project. Sticking to your budget ensures that you will have enough money for the things you need to complete it. If you copied the table above you will see there is a section for budgeting.

Raise Money

There are many ways to raise money. If you are working with an organization such as Girl Scouts* check first to see what is allowed. Helpful Link: A Beginner’s Guide to Fundraising

Consider GoFundMe, CrowdRise, DonorsChoose, or Kickstarter.
Organize an event like a car wash, bake sale, or benefit dinner to raise awareness around your fundraiser.
Host an event such as a walkathon, run, or bike rides.
Ask local businesses and community members to donate items for a silent auction or a live auction.
Sales of customized products like tee shirts, pens, and buttons will not only raise funds but generate awareness about your project.
Invite the local media to your fundraiser or at least supply them with a photo and caption after the event.

Specific ideas for Community Enrichment Fundraising

Get clever with your ideas. Think of things related to your cause. It will help bring awareness and set up a “fun” atmosphere, while raising the money you need to complete your cause.

Make and sell “I love [insert your town]” car magnets.
Have a bake sale and name the goodies after local locations such as Main Street Meringues or Downtown Devil’s Food
Organize a street fair and rent tables to local merchants and artisans.
Have a battle of the bands. Encourage entries in all age groups.
Get families and businesses to sponsor bricks or benches for a park update project.

Host a talent show for donations.
Organize a teachers vs. students field day and ask for donations for participants.
Give recognition gifts for sponsorships. Set donation levels such as $20 for a community enrichment pin or $40 for a tee shirt.

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Requirement 3: Do It!

You should now be ready to put your plan into action. Join in during your project to supervise and provide assistance at all levels.

After completing the plan, remember to thank the community.

Ways to say Thank You:

Personally thank individuals and businesses who helped. A handwritten letter is always nice. Helpful link: How to write a thank you letter.
Thank the community as a whole with posters.
Create a follow up press release and include the names of individuals and businesses who participated. Helpful link: How to write a press release.

Youth Squad® Volunteer Thank You Certificate

Give certificates of appreciation.
Thank the community as a whole on social media.

Congratulations on completing your enrichment action project! The Enrichment Delegate pin makes a great reward for completing your project. It also makes a great gift to program sponsors and mentors.

Enrichment Delegate Pin for Community Service from Youth Squad®

See all our current Delegate level pin programs:

Related Fun Patch Ideas:

Note: Many of the links provided to assist with completing our Patch Program®s are external and do not imply an endorsement or recommendation. At the time of publication, external content was vetted to the best of our ability. Your views and ideas may vary and we do not intend for you to substitute our opinions for yours. Research the topic thoroughly before beginning a project. As always, make sure children access the internet only under safe-surfing conditions.

*youthsquad.makingfriends.com and MakingFriends®.com are not affiliated with, endorsed by or a licensee of Girl Scouts of the USA.