Why Work With Wealthy Young People?

The Problem
The facts are grim. Every day, 20,000 children are dying of hunger, and more than a billion people must scrounge to afford their basic necessities with less than a dollar to spend. In California, 1/3 of single mothers must choose on a regular basis between feeding themselves and feeding their children. Meanwhile, the accumulated wealth of the top 1% of US households exceeds the combined wealth of the bottom 95%. The gap between rich and poor has become almost incomprehensible, as an ever smaller portion of the US population controls an ever larger share of the nation's (and the world's) wealth. For a socially responsible young person to grow up with wealth, in the face of such realities, can be painful and disturbing. Many wealthy, progressively minded young people feel confused about their own responsibility as privileged people of conscience in an unjust world. They are frequently beset by guilt, isolation, and numbness, all of which can and often do lead to depression and a lack of meaningful engagement with the vital issues of our times. A plethora of activists and organizations doing crucial work for social change lack the time and financial support they need to accomplish their goals. Meanwhile countless well meaning wealthy young people are growing up feeling inadequate or confused about what they can do, as they sit on the sidelines, or give in to the pressure to accumulate even more money, doing things that don't matter to them, as if their "net worth" and their sense of self esteem were one and the same.


A Response
In the face of these realities a wave of awareness and activism is pulling growing numbers of young people with wealth together to create alternatives to the support of the status quo that has so often been the realm of the young and rich. A whole new generation of wealthy people are stepping off the sidelines and taking a courageous stand for social justice. An array of organizations have sprung up for the expressed purpose of empowering young, wealthy, progressive people to channel their time, talent, and dollars to the building of a more equitable, sustainable and thriving world. Starting in the mid-1990's, youth-led organizations like Resource Generation, Active Element, Third Wave Foundation, and Reciprocity began supporting and mobilizing wealthy young people to take a stand for a better world. Today, more than two dozen youth-led organizations work to mobilize young people with access to wealth and to transform philanthropy, as critical steps toward social, economic, and environmental justice. Despite the diversity of approaches and experiences our organizations bring, we respond to a common need. Young people with financial wealth need supportive, inspiring, educational, and challenging avenues for giving their time, power and resources to progressive change.