Tavis Smiley Foundation

At Try Change we all can make a difference. We also like highlight individuals and organizations that are making a difference in the lives of others. Today we like to showcase the Tavis Smiley Foundation.

As stated on their website "Our goal is to serve as a powerful positive force in young lives to counter the negatives in media and our society as a whole and provide an infrastructure that allows youth to voice their concerns and actively engage meaningful civic participation"

How does the foundation accomplish this mission?

By providing the following programs:

Talented Tenth High School Tour- The goal of this 10-city tour is to enlighten, encourage and empower young people to develop the skills needed to become powerful leaders in their school, community and the world. Tavis Smiley, founder and president of the Tavis Smiley Foundation (TSF), shares what he has learned about strong leaders and engages students in conversations to discover their priorities and motivate them to action. Teachers and students will receive a Youth to Leaders Toolkit of resources. Click here to learn more.

The Tavis Smiley Foundation Leadership Institute is a national five-day interactive leadership curriculum that trains youth to meet the challenges in their communities. Click here to learn more.

Tavis Smiley Foundation Leadership Institute Tour The Institute Road Tour takes our core group of youth trainers and the Leadership Institute curriculum across the United States to conduct a two-day version of the Institute with other young people. Click here to learn more.

Youth to Leaders (Y2L) Ventures To help youth receive funding for community service projects they develop at the TSF Leadership Institute and the 2003 Youth to Leaders National Summit, the Tavis Smiley Foundation partnered with Youth Ventures, a non profit organization dedicated to promoting youth led social entrepreneurial projects. Click here to learn more.

Salute to Youth Leadership Gala A lavish and exclusive affair, the Salute to Youth Leadership Dinner and Gala celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of young leaders and pioneers in youth development while raising money to support the Tavis Smiley Foundation's leadership development programs for African American youth. The annual five-course dinner for 100 is hosted by a celebrity and presented by an African-American executive chef. Click here to learn more.

Smiley ScholarsThe Tavis Smiley Foundation provides scholarships to its program participants who have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence, leadership and service to the community. Past recipients have attended Morehouse College, Yale University and Howard University. Click here to learn more.

Please pay a visit to the Tavis Smiley Foundation website

At Try Change we feel we can all make a difference. For us, we donate 10& of all our profits to Volunteers of America which serves the homeless in the DC,VA & MD areas. We also adopt a homeless family during the holiday season, donate clothes as well as hold an annual Charity yard sale for VOA.You can find our shirts at:
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Vince