According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, philanthropy is an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes. Just because you are a teenager who does not have thousands of dollars to give away does not mean you can't be a philanthropist. West Australian based organisation Impact100 gives people the opportunity to put their money together with other people and choose which charities to give it to. They have a YoungImpact100 program for 12-18 year olds where the teens collect or save $100 to donate then attend a fun grant event where they pool their money with other teens and together choose a charity to donate the money to.
Generosity magazine has an article on other organisations in Australia with a similar purpose. You can find it here.
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Much improvement has been made recently in the areas of fair pay, forced labour and child labour in the fashion industry but there is still a long way to go. In Uzbekistan, children and government workers are forced to leave school and their jobs (doctors, nurses, teachers etc.) to pick cotton over the summer. Many fashion labels do not know where the cotton they purchase comes from or the conditions under which it was picked and processed. You can make a difference by purchasing clothes that are made ethically. You can download the 2017 Ethical Fashion Guide here.
Australia has the second highest average wealth per adult in the world, after Switzerland. As you read this, 23 Million people are facing starvation in east Africa - that is almost the entire population of Australia. You might wonder what you can do to help as you are probably just a broke student. If we all give what we can, we can make a difference. You could be creative and raise money to donate to one of the many charities working in this area. I have listed some below:
Red Cross Unicef Care Baptist World Aid Have you considered donating a gift to someone less fortunate this Christmas? The K-Mart Wishing Tree Appeal collects gifts and donates them to charities to give to children in need. If you can't afford a gift by yourself, you could get a group of friends together and pool your resources to buy a gift. You can wrap it and leave it under the tree at K-Mart. Find out more here.
Shop Ethical is an online Australian guide to ethically produced products. It covers food, fashion, cosmetics and electrical. It also has information on issues such as labour exploitation, nanotechnology and animal testing. You can find the guide here.
You might want to change the world but feel powerless to do anything as a teenager. Monica Bourgeau wrote a good article that you can find on the Huffington Post website about 7 Ways to Change the World. The first one was to start small. She told the story of Nobel Prize Winner, Mohammad Yunus, who started a micro finance business lending money to those in poverty to start their own businesses. He started with $27 of his own money. Now the Grameen Bank which he started has issued billions of dollars to over 7 million borrowers.
CanTeen supports young people with cancer. National Bandana Day is their annual fundraiser. Every year 23,000 young people have to deal with the challenge of cancer. You can support them by purchasing a bandana, buying a merchandise pack and selling them to your friend and family, by hosting a fundraiser or by donating online. Find out more here.
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