A month ago, I made a post about young changemakers, a program I was in that taught high schoolers how non-profits work. Today, I officially graduated from the program. There were a few things that were emphasized at the graduation ceremony that I found particularly meaningful.

The first idea that I found meaningful is the difference between philanthropy and charity. While these two things may not initially seem that different, there is a significant difference between the two in terms of approach and results. Charity seeks to donate money to causes, but it doesn’t necessarily require commitment to addressing root causes of issues or becoming personally involved in the solving of problems. The meaning of philanthropy is love for human beings, and that reflects the difference between philanthropy and charity. Philanthropy means the personal involvement and partnership with certain communities to address underlying issues that lead to broader problems in that community.

The second idea that I found meaningful builds off the first idea. Many have the idea that one must be ultra-rich to be a philanthropist. Given the unique meaning of philanthropy when compared to charity, anyone can be a philanthropist, even if they don’t have very much money. In fact, many ultra-wealthy who are seen as philanthropists are simply individuals engaging in charity. Many wealthy people donate enormous sums to causes, and granted they do make meaningful contributions, but they don’t take the time to truly engage with the community they are trying to help. Someone without much money could volunteer for a nonprofit organization, and get actively involved in addressing the root causes of a certain problem in a community. They may put some of their money forward to advance the cause they are personally involved in. This is how someone who isn’t extremely wealthy can engage in philanthropy.

The third idea that I found meaningful is the idea of “asset based community development.” This is the idea that philanthropists shouldn’t try to change communities, but should instead build upon their existing strengths. One of the problems that I believe can be presented with traditional approaches to philanthropy is the community being helped feeling disrespected or looked down upon. The asset based community development approach ensures that the community feels like their strengths are seen and appreciated. Long term effectiveness in philanthropy relies on the community working with the philanthropist to achieve goals, and the feeling of respect generated by asset based community development approaches promotes lasting cooperation between communities and philanthropists.

Philanthropy is something that isn’t generally viewed as something that everybody can do. However, no matter who one is, they can get involved personally in tackling the root causes of issues that a certain community faces. Philanthropists can make the most of their contribution to a certain community by seeking to build upon the strengths that that community already possesses. These ideas that were expressed at my Young Changemakers graduation have changed the way I look at problems in the world. Not only did they change how I looked at problems, but I strongly suspect they deeply affected the 60 other participants as well. The Young Changemakers program is in a way its own type of philanthropy. This program seeks to address a growing sense of apathy among young people regarding the wellbeing of other humans. By addressing the root cause of a problem, and becoming personally involved in the solving of that problem, the leaders of the YC2 program fulfil the definition of philanthropy and make a significant difference in tomorrow’s society.