Surrey Steps Up giving away $500 grants for student community action projects
Surrey and White Rock students who make a difference in their school or community are eligible to receive one of five $500 community action project grants from Surrey Steps Up, an annual showcase of youth contributions and positive impact.
As part of this year's showcase, Surrey Steps Up has partnered with human rights education organization Equitas, a longtime partner of Safe Schools, to provide five grants to groups who are stepping up in Surrey. The idea of creating grants was pitched during discussions with Equitas and the organization offered to fund the grants for students.
"They are supporting these five $500 grants to youth in Surrey in any sort of community service initiative that they see fit," said Jaclyn Blaney, Community Schools Partnership facilitator with Safe Schools. "It's an opportunity to spread some positivity and get the word out there about these great things being done and that $500 can go a long way."
Hosted by the City of Surrey, Surrey RCMP and Surrey Schools, Surrey Steps Up shines a spotlight on the positive impact youth have on their peers, their schools and their communities. The event is planned months in advance by a team made up of secondary students and members of Safe Schools.
"Some of our first youth planning team members now work with us and are running the team," said Blaney. "It's really cool to see how they've grown and stayed connected to volunteering."
While last year's event was held online due to the pandemic, this year's will be held in person on June 3 at Surrey City Hall, and groups who receive grants will be able to display how they step up in their communities and utilized their funding.
"We're hoping for at least 100 participants, and we'll be showcasing what the youth have been able to do with these grants, as well as any of the other groups that apply for funding," said Blaney.
Applications are open until Tuesday, March 29 through the Protecting Surrey Schools Together (PSST) website at psst-bc.ca/ssu22
The grants are open to any youth in Surrey, including city-based youth groups, individual groups and both elementary and secondary students. Applicants must outline how they will utilize their funds if selected. The grant recipients will be selected on April 1 with funds being transferred the following week, to be used by May 23 with reporting and receipts submitted by June 1.
For more information, visit Surrey Steps Up or contact Jaclyn Blaney at blaney_j@surreyschools.ca
