.png)
Winner receives $1,500 seed money for a volunteer-powered project
Pitch your idea to make Dayton better and you could win $1,500 in seed money to launch a volunteer-powered project.
We know Dayton is full of people with great ideas who want to build a more socially just Dayton.
That’s why YWCA Dayton will be hosting a Racial Equity & Social Justice Summit April 27, from 6-8 p.m. at the Dayton Metro Library, where applicants can pitch their best idea for a volunteer-lead and powered project that addresses a social justice need in the Dayton community.
The Racial Equity & Social Justice Summit is the continuation of the long-running annual summit hosted by UpDayton, an organization that aimed to attract and retain young talent in the region. Last year, YWCA Dayton acquired UpDayton and will be keeping the Summit going under YW’s umbrella of advocacy programming.
Femme Aid Collaborative, Longest Table, Baldwin Café and many more impactful local projects were launched over the years with the help of the Summit.
“This Summit is an opportunity for community members with a vision who need support to put that idea in motion and make an impact on Dayton,” said Barbara Ward, YWCA Dayton Advocacy Manager.
Attendees at the Summit will vote on a winning presentation and the winner will receive $1,500 in seed money.
If you want to pitch a project at the summit, applications can be submitted online here and are due by March 1. Out of the applicants, we will select four of the top applicants who we will work with through two workshops in March to help them refine their pitch for the Summit.
While there will only be one winner of the Summit, everyone who pitches will have a chance to share their idea to build support and publicity toward their goals.
“Anyone who has an idea that they want to see happen in the community, this is the chance to share that. Past winners have ranged from college students with a new idea, to those in the trenches with a nonprofit who need support to make their idea happen,” Ward said.
YWCA Dayton’s addition to the Summit is that in the lead up, community members are asked to sign up at www.ywcadayton.org/challenge for a 21-Day email challenge that will prompt participants to dig deep on racism and other forms of discrimination within music, disability, mental health and housing.
“The Summit is a way to take those reflections and put them into action,” Ward said.
Questions? Email advocacy@ywcadayton.org or call 937-461-5550 ext. 121.
This article originally appeared at the YWCA Dayton.