Monday morning I put my 11 year old on a Charter bus with 80 of his 6th grade classmates to start an exciting week-long learning trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. After our rough holidays of hospitals and surgeries we are very fortunate that he was able to go. I am excited for the marvels he will see and the important lessons he will learn such as, care of the environment and respect for nature. It is just these types of experiences that help our youth understand how important it is to care for the world around them. The following funder is giving young people the chance to get involved and show what they can do with the knowledge they’ve gained about the world they are stewards of.

This week’s pick: Burton Snowboards has a collaboration with Girl Overboard author Justina Chen Headley and Youth Venture. This group is offering the Go Overboard Challenge Grant Program for U. S. youth ages 12 to 20. They are challenging young people to bring the passion they feel for causes like the environment, global health or social and economic causes and to spearhead projects that will address problems in these areas.

The criteria is to create a team to address the work you would like to see done and then submit an application to be eligible for challenge grants of up to $1,000 each. Youth Venture staff can be contacted for help with the application. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until May 1, 2008. To learn more click here.