This is your chance to tell your story, engage others in your mission, and have access to new resources that will help you continue to grow and empower your cause in unprecedented ways!

The mission of the Raise a Hand initiative is to promote youth philanthropy by bringing attention to those students who are serving their neighbors, their communities and their world. The Raise a Hand Foundation has been created to give young people like you a platform to share your work - and to inspire your peers (and others) to join you, or to help them engage in some other cause to help make the world better.

There are two main goals of this initiative. The first is to create a place on the web for active and aspiring youth philanthropists to meet, compare ideas, engage new people and resources, and learn from leaders in the field from all around the world.

The second main goal of the Raise a Hand initiative is to sponsor a first-ever international award program created specifically to celebrate the innovative efforts of youth leaders like you. Called "The International Youth Philanthropy Award", the program will offer $100,000 in special grants to the finalists in the inaugural event.

The International Youth Philanthropy Award will feature students who are doing something special in the world of giving. Each student will present their case (in a 3-minute YouTube video) as to why others should get involved with what they are doing. These stories will include the stories of youth philanthropists who have created their own charity as well as those who are helping existing charities to have greater impact.

A group of four finalists will be selected by the voting of a blue ribbon panel and will be featured on the nationally syndicated telecast of the feature film, The Ultimate Gift. The finalists will be ranked based on online votes cast for each of the finalists.

The International Youth Philanthropy Award, like the Rolex Social Entrepreneur Award, is planned to be an annual event, with the grant award purse and television viewership increasing each year and bringing more and more attention to the online hub of resources available for all youth philanthropists at the www.raiseahand.org website.

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We believe that if students have the opportunity to do something great and are given the tools to accomplish it that they will pursue it with passion. If you are one of those who have proven this to be true, we hope that you will become a participant in the 2007-2008 International Youth Philanthropy Award!

>> meet some of the award entrants