To be a Peace Warrior is to choose humanity over all else. It is striving to be the best version of ourselves. The Peace Warrior Youth Program endeavors to bring a few chosen, and committed together, provide them with the tools of compassion, knowledge and leadership training to become aware of our environment and lay the foundations for becoming successful global citizens. Our youth program is specially curated and designed to empower our youth to support the world from anywhere, while impacting our local and global communities through our network. The Peace Warrior (TPW) has been approved as an official Certifying Organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). The ability to bestow Presidential recognition to our volunteers is a tremendous honor. In recognizing the great work and commitment of our volunteers, we are able to deliver a powerful message, one that encourages others to act. In order to qualify and demonstrate our widespread impact, we have summarized all of the successes of previous year programs. For inspiration of this year’s program, we recommend you read of our previous years’ successes:
- In 2021 (established program), we engaged over 50 students worldwide and worked on projects related to COVID-19 support, social enterprise and fundraising, artistic endeavors, food distribution and leadership training from professional corporate leadership coaches in the industry. While the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted us in many ways, we made the best of our resources to create the program and inspire one another to foster a sense of community.
- Total Lives Touched: 2000+
- Volunteer Hours: 1080
- In 2022, we expanded our program significantly, reaching over 150 volunteers worldwide, including new projects such as social fundraising training to raise money for TPW’s Healthy Meals Distribution in India. The entire purpose of the previous 6-week program was to improve the quality and emphasize the importance of diffusing love and compassion throughout the population. Over the span of 2021 and 2022, The Global Youth Program has collectively delivered over 5,000 hours of volunteering and impacted over 50,000 lives across the globe.
- Total Lives Touched: 4500+
- Volunteer Hours: 1836
- In 2023, we continued our program expansion, attempting to focus on increased diversity and diversified efforts (new projects). By revising the program, we created new projects such as “Addressing Societal Problems” in which students developed petitions and awareness towards their communal problems and the “Impact Leader” program, which in conjunction with the set GYP program, allows students to develop their own projects with support from TPW mentors. Over 40 students participated in the program, achieving the distinction of most lives touched in GYP history!
- Total Lives Touched: 6000+
- Volunteer Hours: 900+
Our 2024 summer program will include the following themes with more to follow. If you are a passionate high-schooler interested in completing this program, contact us for further details:
- Social Enterprise and Funding
- Clothes/Books/Food Drive
- Recycling/Composting Drive
- Addressing Issues in the Community, Proposing Solutions, Community Petitions
- Homeless Care Kits
- Impact Leader Program
Not only is the program designed for Youth, but it is also designed by Youth.
IMPACT LEADER (NEW!):
Looking at the set program, is there something you are really passionate about? Is there something not on there that you aspire to achieve in your community? The impact leader is the alternative to the set program in which students will be able to focus on one issue prevalent in the community or one preexisting TPW issue and “make it big.” For all six weeks of the program, they will focus on either starting a program from scratch or help spread awareness about a TPW program.
Examples of Current Impact Leader Projects for Inspiration:
- Project EDU – Aarav Ahuja 2022
- IgniteMinds – Abisristhi Ram 2023
- Project Bake Sale – Olivia Borkat 2023
We, the GYP team, are here to support you along the way. The weekly meetings will serve as a means to inspire you, gain new perspectives on issues you are facing, and spread inspiration to others with your success stories.
Global Youth Program FAQs
Is the TPW Global Youth Program virtual or onsite?
The program is all virtual, meaning it can be completed from anywhere in the world. However, for many Impact Leader and volunteer projects, students are expected to perform acts of service from their home (this is considered their “onsite”). We will be holdings weekly Zoom calls on Saturdays to strengthen our team & celebrate the successes of GYP projects.
Are the weekly zoom calls at the same time each week?
Yes – you will be assigned a cohort based on your location (and time zone). Each cohort has a separate meeting time and will involve you engaging with peers in similar physical locations. Each zoom call consists of the GYP team presenting the new week’s theme, discussing our community and the impacts we did on it, and highlights from the previous week. You can expect our meetings to be from 10:30 – 11:30 AM every Saturday, but note that changes can occur.
What is the expectation in terms of volunteer hours for the week/program?
The expectation is, at minimum, 6 hours per week (36 total) to receive a certificate. If students conduct more hours of volunteering each week, they are permitted to enter more than 6 as long as the hours are within reason (ex: 12 hours for fundraising would NOT count unless a large amount of money was raised for TPW Healthy Meals Distribution).
Are you a certified organization to grant the President's Volunteer Service award?
Yes, The Peace Warrior is certified to administer and honor students with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a meeting? Do you send out the recorded meetings?
All Saturday meetings are MANDATORY and are required to participate in the GYP program. These meetings are the only source of connection we really have and especially for those in the Impact Leader Project, this inhibits the ability for your project to develop and reach a large audience. If a student has extenuating circumstances, please send us an email at least 24 hours in advance and a video recording of the meeting will be sent. Students may NOT claims hours for watching the digital recordings
Are you able to provide any type of documentation once the volunteering hours have been completed?
Because we are a 501(c)(3) organization, we are able to provide record of student volunteering hours. Students will receive a digital certificate of completion, which will have the volunteer hours listed.
Is there a fee to join this program?
Yes, there is a $40 registration fee for all members (starting from 2023). All fees can be paid using the link in the registration form. Please make sure you type the student’s name in the comments for verification. If you were an active participant of the GYP program in 2022 or 2021, you are NOT exempt from this fee.
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