Youth Advisory Council
The NACI Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) was established in 2002 after the Thomas Sill Foundation and the Beautiful Plains Community Foundation each provided 3 years of funding ($1,000 for operations and $2,500 for grants) to encourage youth philanthropy and volunteerism. The NACI YAC distributed its first grants in 2003. After the initial 6 years, the Beautiful Plains Credit Union donated $1,000 to the Youth Advisory Committee for operations from 2009 to 2020.
The vision of both the Thomas Sill Foundation and BPCF was that the youth involved in YAC would develop the following skills:
- A good understanding of charitable organizations in the community and their needs through site visitations and interviews.
- Evaluation and critical thinking skills
- Foster an interest in volunteerism and philanthropy
- Ability to listen to individual opinions and come to a consensus through discussion
- Fundraising and marketing skills
A generous donation in 2018 established an annual scholarship to be awarded to a YAC member who shows leadership and has been part of the committee for at least 2 years. YACs are a nationwide initiative to which many Community Foundations in Canada provide funding. The NACI YAC runs from September to June.
The YAC program would not be possible without teacher advisors to guide the students. The initial mentors were Mike Adams and Dawn Birth. In 2026, Dale Swanton and Jackie Lester took over to foster and shape the committee.