“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it.”
-Helen Keller
Local communities have been targeted because of their religion, sexuality, and ethnicity. In response to these events, the Gandhi Institute (in partnership with the Farash Foundation) created Youth Healing Hate grants to empower youth to address the root causes of hate and incivility. Now in its seventh iteration, the grant has enabled Rochester-area youth to complete over 50 projects that build community and support in place of fear and hate.
Every year, local youth ages 12-24 can receive up to $1,000 for projects that provide a creative solution to fear, hostility, and division within their community.
For more information, email katie@gandhiinstitute.org
About the Youth Healing Hate grants:
Who can apply: Anyone ages 12-24. You can work solo or in a group size of your choice. You/ your group will need an adult mentor if you are under age 18.
What you’ll get: Up to $1000 to do a project of your choice, in your community!
What we’re looking for: Projects that challenge hate, promote healing, and include your community in a creative way. Grants will be awarded based on creativity, vision, solid planning, and responsible budgeting.
Brainstorm your idea: What do YOU want to do to address hate in your community? We want you to create a project that addresses an issue in your community and spreads peace in a creative way! Here are some examples from past projects to inspire you:
Host a community event, like a peace walk or open mic night.
Create an art project that spreads a message of healing.
Start a club or group focused on stopping bullying.
The Youth Healing Hate project initially drew from two sources for inspiration. First is Howard Thurman’s book Jesus and the Disinherited, a book that Dr. King carried with him for years. In this book, Thurman, an African-American faith leader who mentored Dr. King and countless other leaders, warns people of the danger to any society where hatred has become respectable, and of the need for people to actively understand and reduce hate.
A second source of inspiration is the founding story of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, whose lands are where the Gandhi Institute and the recipients of these grants live. It is a remarkable example of the enduring power of transforming hate. We hope that everyone involved in these projects will become healers, peacemakers, and warriors for justice.