Braiding New Worlds Grantees 2023 Published on August 11, 2023
PEACE DEVELOPMENT FUND AWARDS $30,000 TO YOUTH-LED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
AMHERST, MA- Through the Braiding New Worlds Fund, the Peace Development Fund (PDF) awarded a total of $30,000 of grants ranging from $3,500 to $6,500 to seven youth-led organizations across the country. This was the second year of the program which was created to support youth-oriented community organizing. Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan was among the awardees this year.
The 2023 grantees include: Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (Detroit, MI); Fanm Saj Inc (Miami, FL); New Britain Racial Justice Coalition (New Britain, CT); Queer Youth Assemble (South Easton, MA); Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (Worcester, MA); PVUSD Students Deserve (Watsonville, CA); and The Queer-Trans Project (Atlantic Beach, FL).
“Youth don’t hold the same disillusionment as adults and can envision more creative solutions and greater change, youth are more [invested] in transformative change because it’s our future,” shared Avery Smedley, Braiding New Worlds Grant Committee Member.
In a world experiencing mounting political, economic, and environmental crises, PDF is investing in the critical role youth play in creating a more equitable and peaceful world. In addition to the grantees being youth-led, the grant decision-making committee members were youth aged 18 to 25 years old. The organizations funded work on a variety of social justice issues including LGBTQ rights, racial equity, access to higher education, and criminal justice reform.
“PDF funding will allow us to provide Build-a-Queer kits and ship them to youth in need all around the country. The recent anti-trans bills have put more youth at risk and increased their feelings of isolation and anxiety. These kits provide a life-line,” shared Cielo Sunsarae from the Queer Trans Project.”
The Peace Development Fund’s mission is to build the capacity of community-based organizations through grants, training, and other resources as partners in human rights and social justice movements.
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