State Farm® Youth Advisory Board Information

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board Request For Proposals (RFP) for student-led and student-designed service-learning projects are now available at the State Farm Youth Advisory Board web site. The deadline for applications is April 18, 2008.

Overview of Initiative – State Farm is proud to establish the State Farm Youth Advisory Board charged with helping State Farm leadership design and implement a signature service-learning initiative.

Members of this board play an important leadership role in creating and overseeing a $5 million/year signature service-learning initiative that addresses pressing issues of importance to State Farm and communities across America. The Youth Board will collectively help identify these issues; oversee competitive site selections and grant-making processes for catalyzing large-scale, student-driven service-learning projects that systemically address the issues; provide technical assistance and oversight to site grantees; and assist with the communications and outreach of the initiative. The Youth Board will interact with senior State Farm leaders in presenting and defending an analysis of their grant making decisions.

State Farm has long believed that for communities to thrive, young people must be empowered as leaders and decision-makers to address real issues and problems. State Farm also believes that through service-learning, young people can have structured opportunities to make change in their communities while at the same time become better prepared for college, the workforce, and active community involvement. State Farm’s investment in young people as leaders of this high-profile initiative reflects its sincere commitment to tapping the passion and expertise of our younger generation.

State Farm leadership and some of its key national service-learning and education partners helped select a diverse group of 30 young people ages 17-20 to serve on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. The Board members will represent each of twelve U.S. State Farm zones and one State Farm Canadian zone (Alberta, New Brunswick, or Ontario provinces only) with three at-large members nominated by State Farm’s national service-learning partners.

Commitment of Youth Board Members – Youth Advisory Board members will serve for either a one or two-year term during which time they will be engaged in the leadership work described above. Those serving one-year terms will be designated as Youth Advisory Board members. The two-year terms will be for those students willing to commit for two years, the first of which will be served as an Associate Youth Advisory Board member charged with assisting the Youth Advisory Board member within their defined zone. During the second year, the Associate Youth Advisory Board members will succeed the outgoing Youth Advisory Board member from their zone.

The work will be carried out during four in person meetings at the State Farm corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois or in other State Farm locations within the U.S. as well as through electronic communications between meetings. Youth Advisory Board members will be required to attend at least three of these four Board meetings. Associate Youth Advisory Board members will be required to attend two of the four meetings. The average monthly time commitment for Youth Advisory Board members and Associate Youth Advisory Board Members will be approximately 15 hours/month.