Youthlinc & The Core Pillars of Community Engagement

Youthlinc’s mission of creating lifetime humanitarians is deeply rooted in four core pillars of community engagement: Service Year, RootEd Global (formerly GCL), Young Humanitarian Award (YHA), and Real Life. These programs provide meaningful service experiences that empower individuals to make a lasting impact. Two overarching strategies, Philanthropy and Partnership, permeate all of Youthlinc’s work, ensuring sustainability and collaboration in its mission-driven approach.

Service Year: Direct Service, Indirect Service & Education

Service Year is the backbone of Youthlinc, offering an immersive local and international service experience that fosters a deep commitment to humanitarian work and long-term impact.

• Direct Service: Participants engage in hands-on service locally (80 hours!) and internationally (another 60 hours!), contributing through community projects and volunteer efforts.

• Indirect Service: Participants fundraise and project plan, which are essential components that sustain and amplify the program's impact.

• Education: Participants gain a deeper understanding of social issues, leadership skills, and cultural competence through Impact Modules and reflection.

Rooted Global: Education, Advocacy & Direct Service

Rooted Global (formerly GCL) is Youthlinc’s most education- and advocacy-driven program, designed to engage students in understanding and addressing global humanitarian challenges.

• Education: A collegiate-level study abroad program that immerses students in global issues and service-based learning.

• Advocacy: Encourages participants to analyze and address systemic issues affecting communities worldwide.

• Direct Service: Provides hands-on opportunities for students to work directly with communities in need, applying their academic learning to real-world challenges.

  
  

Young Humanitarian Award (YHA): Direct Service, Education & Advocacy

The Young Humanitarian Award (YHA) celebrates Utah youth who exemplify a deep commitment to service and advocacy.

• Direct Service: Recognizes young individuals actively engaged in hands-on community service efforts.

• Education: Empowers students with access to college with scholarships to further their educational goals.

• Advocacy: Promotes service as a core societal value, inspiring a culture of humanitarianism in Utah.

  
  

Real Life: Education, Advocacy, Indirect Service & Direct Service

Real Life is an outreach program dedicated to supporting underserved youth, particularly refugee and immigrant students, by providing mentorship, life skills training, and academic support.

• Education: Empowers youth through financial literacy, college preparation, and career skills.

• Advocacy: Encourages students to recognize their own potential and advocate for themselves and their futures.

• Indirect Service: Volunteers provide essential support through program organization, resource coordination, and curriculum development.

• Direct Service: Volunteers engage with students one-on-one, offering academic support, career guidance, and personal development coaching.

Philanthropy & Partnership: Embedded Strategies

Youthlinc’s impact is strengthened by two overarching principles that integrate into every program:

• Philanthropy:

  • Participants engage in fundraising, learning how to mobilize resources and sustain service efforts.

  • Board members and donors model leadership in giving, reinforcing a culture of long-term investment in service and humanitarian efforts.

• Partnership:

  • Every Youthlinc program relies on strategic collaborations with community leaders, nonprofits, educational institutions, and businesses.

  • These relationships ensure that Youthlinc's service initiatives are sustainable, ethical, and impactful.

    
    

A Unified Commitment to a Lifetime of Humanitarianism

By anchoring its programs in the four core pillars of community engagement and embedding philanthropy and partnership as foundational strategies, Youthlinc ensures that service is not just an experience—it becomes a lifelong commitment.