How do we ensure sustainability in Youth led organizations?

[Korey Anthony Chisholm]

 

Message from Hui Xin

Hi all,

I'm really glad to know you all. I'm Hui Xin and we're running a youth project on HIV/AIDS in Malaysia in my school.

We have a facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-AIDS-Kit/172257319464095

I would like to ask a question: As youth led organizations, how do we ensure sustainability? It's something that has been in my head for some time.. 

School students are caught up with so much things, their studies, exams, and other interests they pursue. To know that Peer Educator's Movement for Empowerment  is running by it's own without any external support is amazing. 

I hope we could share ways to counter problems like these.

Cheers,

Hui Xin

PS. Thank you for initiating this conversation!

Least  shear on this  since i  think is  key and importnat  especially if your are a community based organisation - Korey

[Korey Anthony Chisholm]

When i say this  question i just had to jump at  it first, SALT as been good for this  issue, this is a challenge  that   is  dealt with as  like seasons come and goes. Simply what i done with the  group i am working with it  try to meet the need at the said  time, when  it was summer all our activities were summer  like also  since the had more time  and out of school, The involvement of  your targets  helps  to sustain also able in youth Led  groups it is not bad to have  a  large management and co-leadership. One other things is that all the members of this group (VYC Young leader Club)  are writing High School Exams this year so  we have  change the programme we have study  groups  included so members  are stilled their for each other and it also  lend a hands to project object  about Peace building in school age youth.

 

An Organization i founded in 2010 call Diverse Youth Movement  focuses on Young Sexual Minorities  Empowerment and Development, When  we were having elections for out first Leadership team, i  did not take the Directorship position  i tool a lower one, Even though  i had the vision i wanted  the community to  dream with me, and take action  9 months have passed and we now have and 30 members  form our 16, we meet in parks and  gardens or pay  people work places  when we can.. smile but  people  feel good and no matter  what  appointments they have they  will never  say not to the  sessions. They have even change the governance that i created by  having Me as the Chairperson  but the organisation is managed by  Co-Directors, and  their is not a member in the group that  does no have a position  or responsibility, We have lots of small groups  so  if  one set of persons can  make or have studies  other step in  i encourage  each to  have assistants at least 2. When  more than one persons in organisation are exposed and involved sustainability can happen cause they are highly motivated.

 

That  a lok  lol Korey...... i say more later

[John Piermont Montilla]

Hi Hui and Friends

Greetings!

You have a very interesting and yet challenging question in a donor-centric environment in the HIV and AIDS sector. As a youth leader and for almost 10 years NGO work, I have learned and discovered many things that makes me understand deeper the politics of funding and the NGO world. We cannot tell funders what to do with their money. Its about taking it or leaving it. Take it with a condition or if we insist with our own, leave it. Its very very very difficult. Difficult not only in obtaining grants due to competition as well as having no power to negotiate but also because we are caught between needing money while sacrificing the cause of being of our organizations. 

Which means, we should get out from our tracks toward our goal and reach for other people's goal and after funding ceases, we stare to each others' eyes and ask "have we reached our dreams?".  And yet most of the times, these needed self-reflections does not happen because we are busy doing reports to please our funders in order for them to give us the next possible funding. Then it becomes a cycle and eventually we will discover that our organization becomes dependent and mendicant.

As you see today Hui, I strive for social entrepreneurship which is earning your own income to sustain your own change objectives. Its okay to have donor assisting us, but because we have our own earning and we sustain our own interventions that contribute to a shared response, but we are not dependent. With or without them, we are competent. And if we are just like this its the donors who look for us not us looking for them.

But our first and foremost step now is to prove to them that we are indeed dream-driven, that we are really true and genuine to our call and strive for competence. Next, we must have a social - business framework for our organization or mission and lastly, we should learn to exercise our political rights in every decision-making processes like fund-raising and negotiating with our donors as partners with co-equal footing in the quest for sustainable development.

We still need donors, but their support should be used as investments and not implementation of projects. We must also understand that we need to think like businesspersons because indicators for a sustainable organization is composed of financial and social outcomes. Like for example sales targets from mission-driven products which is linked to behavior change targets from peer education activities. 

Also, we need to keep on learning on the concepts of sustainability. One source of learning is at the Skoll Foundation through its social edge portal. This month they have  launched the GSBI (Global Social Benefit incubator) on-line mentoring and schoalrship opportunity. Its a 4-6 weeks on-line mentoring on developing your social business initiative. 

Here it is: Up to twenty social entrepreneurs will receive a full scholarship (valued at US$25,000 each) to attend the 2011 Global Social Benefit Incubator in Silicon Valley

Apply here: http://www.socialedge.org/features/gsbi/gsbitm-2011

Whether you will win the scholarship or not, at least you have completed the 4-month mentoring.

 

John Piermont Montilla
Project Specialist

Philippine NGO Support Program, Inc. (PHANSuP)
(engaging communities for health and development)
Operating Units: APRDC, ARETS and SAGAT
4/F VD&S Bldg., 59-B Panay Avenue, Quezon City 1103 Philippines
Tel/Fax: [phone] | [phone] | [e-mail] | skype: fareasternsoul | 
Weblink: http://www.aidsalliance.org/linkingorganisationdetails.aspx?id=15 

PHANSuP is the linking organization in the Philippines of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance since 1994. 

[Korey Anthony Chisholm]

Dear John,

 

Thanks for  shearing  and  its great point on  having that social business aspect especially when you have local ownership in most of our communities that has worked  in sustaining  great  projects but it  a process that work depending on  the  areas applied ...

 

Thanks korey

[Ng Hui Xin]

Let me think.. But as always, the core factor to ensuring sustainability is to have a core team of people who share the same vision.. right?

[Korey Anthony Chisholm]

Ng Hui, that is completely right and that vision  needs to be sheared with members  and  while the Leadership  team is together so much  the members  or volunteers.

[Ng Hui Xin]

Hi John, thank you for sharing with us your experiences. I'm really glad to have your mentorship and advice.

This rights a bell in my head: 

"With or without them, we are competent."