+1416 799 0943
upliftingyouth@yahoo.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Please read our FAQ before calling or sending us an email.
We appreciate all the programs out there that sacrifice their time, energy, and resources to help others around the globe. Nevertheless, the impact of each program varies depending on its unique set of values, goals, team and, available funds.
Our foundation prides itself in our vision to create a ripple effect with what starts as sponsoring an education program. When we vet a youth and their story, we assess their strengths, goals, and personality. We then nurture them and mentor them to a point where they can turn their plans into action, grow as individuals, AND add value to their local communities. We strongly believe in the roots we are setting up and how its potential growth and branching out will make a HUGE impact.
A legacy that is bigger than us and will live on beyond us is our ultimate goal—but, we can’t do it alone. We welcome you to join us and our efforts in building this vision and legacy.
You’ll be surprised what a set of collective and inspired minds can do. We target each person to donate $10 a month, and collectively it greatly contributes to a struggling youth’s education or skills training. Of course, we welcome and appreciate both smaller & larger donations. You can view your donate-options here.
We will also be holding occasional fundraiser events to boost our collective and available funds for youths in need. Email us to join our team of brand ambassadors and help us to reach more struggling youths.
We do our best to send education and skills fees straight to a specific institution. We will be in contact with the respective institution regarding the youth’s progress. No youth or their family will receive any money directly except for cases where we have no other option.
Only in special, unusual circumstances will we be able to offer a refund. As a non-profit that pays fees on all funds collected, we pride ourselves on running efficiently with low overhead costs and on getting funds out quickly to recipients in need. Stopping to haggle over refunds would only slow us down and add to our overhead costs. If you are concerned about your donation, feel free to call or email us.
One of the reasons we have a limited geographical area that we have started our assistance, is the ability to verify applicants’ stories/needs. We do our best to vet each application and have recently added a requirement of 3 community leaders to provide stamped letters verifying that the applicant is indeed in need of assistance and desperate for help if nobody in our volunteer circle can verify their story. We then video/audio call the leaders to check their stories.
We also ask our volunteers on the ground to crosscheck details. As much as we can, we crosscheck and followup applicants—allocating funds only after we are confident the case is genuine. We reserve the rights to pause and stop the scholarship when needed.
The more we grow and build our team of volunteers, the more we can expand our help so please reach out so that we discuss how you can play a role to assist families out there in need of our help.
You will receive regular updates about where your contribution has gone and how it is being used. You will also receive a receipt for your donation from our organization but please note that the receipt cannot be used to claim any tax returns.
At any point, if the youth is not progressing well, we hold the right to pause or stop the funding and allocate it to someone who is more driven to use this opportunity productively. Before taking this measure, we will talk/counsel the original recipient, their parents, or school to explore ways to help them regain their focus.
We know all too well that success is not carved only in the traditional school setup. We begin by identifying someone in need. We then assess their stage/need, strengths, personality type, and most importantly, their goals. We explore what challenges and obstacles they face in reaching those goals.
Then we explore possibilities and opportunities for them which include but are not limited to: formal school, hands-on skills training programs, homeschooling plans, programs available to support the education of special needs kids, and all other forms of learning available for the youth and their goals/interests.
Sometimes, the family may have access to education/skills but say, internet connection is expensive in their area and interfering with the momentum of a youth’s online education. We consider helping with this, as well as non-conventional forms of learning/growing. The ultimate goal is to boost the youth’s chances at more opportunities than they could have on their own.
Our foundation is doing things differently from others. Since our vision is not only to fund education, but also to coach youth and nurture them to give back to society, we assess several qualities of the interested candidate. We have criteria we use to shortlist and choose our ideal candidates. Learn more here.
We also have an online quiz a youth or their parent can take to get an idea of our expectations. This quiz also helps them assess what their chances of approval would be. See quiz here. Our team is working to make the quiz as accurate as possible, but please note that it is neither an official acceptance nor rejection no matter what your results may be. We will still require you to fill your application form for a final decision.
International students: fill your scholarship form here
Canadians: fill your application here
While we accept applications, from all over the globe to join our waiting list, at the moment we are focused on assisting the beneficiaries who are already on our list. We are also focused in helping where we have established a volunteer base who can assist in following up our students’ cases which currently is: Kenya, Uganda, Durham (Ontario, Canada.)
The more help and donations we receive, the more struggling youth we will touch and the more we will expand our reach. Please help us share our project in your circle, on social media, and in your local community.
Absolutely. We believe that when a youth puts their time and effort into a project, they are more likely to respect and protect it. The Participant and their family/friends are expected to find ways to contribute towards their fund. They are also expected to pass the word about our program so that we reach more people.
While we would love to help struggling families as much as we can, we mostly offer fund programs for youths between 15-24 years, or slightly below/above that range if needed. Once in a while, in desperate circumstances we assist those in primary educational levels.
While the participant is schooling/training, we start processing what their path might be like once they complete their education. We think about their personality, strengths, goals, and process what kind of community resources are around them locally, that would help push them ahead at their next stage. The ultimate goal is to follow up their progress until a phase where they are able to earn, make a living for themselves, and contribute to their local communities.
We are registered and incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit act. We have also been approved/recognized as a charity by the CRA (Canada Revenue Authority)
In Kenya, we are registered as a CBO (Community Based Organization) with a number for KRA (Kenya Revenue Authority) as well.
Uplifting Youth Foundation,
1108 – 250 Consumers Road
#351
North York, ON M2J 4V6
Canada
+1416 799 0943
upliftingyouth@yahoo.com