Celebrating 20 years of Vital Youth

The frantic pace of high school can leave little time for extra activities. Yet, for 20 years, youth across Greater Victoria have found time in their schedules to step forward and engage with their community.

The Victoria Foundation’s Vital Youth program is celebrating 20 years. Every year, the Vital Youth Program engages dozens of students in school leadership classes or youth advisory committees in an innovative program to engage youth in community and Philanthropy.

The Victoria Foundation allocates each project team $3,000 to distribute to federally registered charities on southern Vancouver Island. Each school is also provided with an annual grant of $500 to an endowment fund in their school’s name. As these endowment funds grow, they will eventually be able to generate returns large enough to ensure a sustainable source of grant funds indefinitely.

Throughout its twenty years, students have learned firsthand about the issues in their community, how they can help, and engaged with the organizations working to leave a better tomorrow.

How It Began

The Vital Youth program started in 2003 and at the time was known as “Students who care: Youth in Philanthropy.” The program featured three schools (Belmont, Oak Bay and Vic High) and focused on giving students a “unique handson, hearts-on and heads-on experience.”

“We really got to see the essence of philanthropy,” said

Erinne Paisley, a past Vital Youth Participant at Reynolds Secondary School. “We all feel privileged to be part of the Vital Youth program and know that we will all continue in our own ways to be philanthropists our entire lives.”

Youth, philanthropy, and the support of a community

Starting with three schools, it took a groundswell of support to grow the Vital Youth Program. Generous donors and organizations stepped forward to support the program, helping expand the program into more schools.

One supporter of the Vital Youth Program is the Victoria Foundation Honorary Governors program, first established in 1996 during the Victoria Foundation’s 60th year of operation. Under the distinguished leadership of Jane Rogers, the group aimed to raise the Foundation’s profile, served on committees, hosted events and more. They also established the Millennium Fund which eventually focused their funding on the Vital Youth program.

The Honorary Governors developed the ‘adopt a school’ approach which increased the number of participating schools in the region. Today, you’ll find students participating across the southern island, stretching from the Saanich Peninsula to Greater Victoria and up the Malahat to Mill Bay, in 12 high schools.

The transference of power to our youth

“For a long time, I connected philanthropy to wealth. In my mind a philanthropist was a rich person who donated their money to charity,” said Wren Kerslake, a past Vital Youth participant from Victoria High School.

The Vital youth program transfers power to youth, engaging them with their community and placing funding decisions in their hands. They’re given the opportunity to reflect on the responsibility of granting through the lens of power and who holds it. They meet with organizations to learn about the critical issues in their region. They use tools like the Victoria Foundation’s annual Vital Signs Report, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. With the assistance of Foundation staff, youth step forward as leaders in the community, driving their own experiences with philanthropy.

It helps leave a feeling of hope and intrigue. “We have been given the knowledge that we are able to be a part of something we thought was out of our reach,” said Kreslake. “I think that the powerful thing about giving once is that it makes you feel like you can do it again.”

Vital Youth in 2023

Today, the impact of Vital Youth can be seen across Southern Vancouver Island. Nearly 700 students have participated in the program, while 347 grants have been given to local non-profit organizations totaling $400,082. And yet, the impact goes far beyond the numbers.

“Being in this program, I now understand the importance of giving back to your community,” said Mack Edwards, a past Vital Youth with Belmont Secondary.

“And when I’m 75 I’ll still be giving. You can count on it.”

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