Do Something: Young People Changing Their World

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What We Do
Challenges®
Do Something provides "challenges" in 3 areas: community building, health, and the environment. These 2-week programs, which can be after-school activities or in-school class projects, help kids develop life skills and give them the chance to lead. In the past, 4 million kids have participated in our programs. Thousands of schools will download our curricula from our website and participate in challenges this year, including the MLK Day "Kindness & Justice Challenge," the March "Fitness Challenge," and our April "Financial Education Challenge." Click here to learn more about Do Something Challenges.

Community Coaches®
The term "Community Coach" was coined and trademarked by Do Something to describe our national network of specially-trained and recruited state certified educators. These educators implement and oversee Do Something programs at their schools, and they serve as mentors for kids' service-learning projects. It is Do Something's hope that someday, every school in America will have a math teacher, a football coach, and a Community Coach. Click here to learn more about the Community Coaching program, and to learn how to become a Community Coach.

BRICK Awards®
The annual BRICK Awards honor 6 young people for service in 3 areas: community building, health, and the environment. Each award includes a scholarship, a grant for continued community work, pro bono services, and other support and recognition. BRICK winners are recognized at an annual gala in New York. By highlighting the work of BRICK winners who have stood up from the sofa and done something, other young people are inspired to do something too. We're making youth-lead community change into something fun, possible, and cool! Click here to learn more about the BRICK Awards.

Why it matters
Participating in Do Something programs leads to powerful outcomes for young people. In a recent survey of teachers and students:

91% said Do Something increases self-confidence
61% said Do Something increases students' academic performance and reduces school discipline problems
87% said Do Something increases student and staff morale
77% said Do Something increases parental and community involvement at school

Who We Are
Board of Directors
A terrific, diverse group of 16 people, including education experts, entrepreneurs, lawyers, not-for-profit leaders, and a 4th grade teacher (and Community Coach) from Illinois. This group meets four times per year to review programmatic direction, fiscal policy, and financial direction. Board members serve three-year terms, commencing in September.

Sponsors
Do Something exists thanks to generous individuals, corporations, and foundations that provide important resources.

Youth Advisory Council
In keeping with Do Something's youth-leadership philosophy, the organization utilizes the energy and ideas of a coterie of smart young people. This group of 15 gathers several times each semester to review program vision, marketing materials, and language choices of the "old people" on the staff and Board.

State Advisory Board
To assist with district expansion and management, Do Something invites local educators, corporate leaders, and other notaries to be part of the State Advisory Boards. This group is chaired by a local leader and may decide to undertake independent fundraising, programming, staff, or other efforts on behalf of Do Something initiatives, subject to the approval of Do Something.

Staff
A small but mighty staff executes the daily activity of Do Something. Nancy Lublin joined the staff in August 2003 as CEO. With a $5,000 inheritance from her immigrant great-grandfather, Nancy founded Dress for Success, the organization that provides interview suits, career development training, and confidence boosts to women in more than 70 cities in four countries. Nancy is a graduate of Brown University, Oxford University (which she attended as a Marshall Scholar) and New York University School of Law.

Community Coaches®
Community Coaches are state-certified educators who make Do Something happen in their respective schools. They implement Do Something programs and serve as mentors for kids' Do Something projects. There are currently more than 300 Community Coaches nationwide.

Strategic Partners
On occasion, Do Something teams up with other organizations to assist and enhance each other in a variety of ways, from promotion and publicity to program enhancement and development.

History
Do Something was founded in 1993 by Andrew Shue and Michael Sanchez, childhood friends from New Jersey who wanted to make a difference. They had a very simple dream: what if making a difference became just as cool and important to American education as athletics? What if community service became like physical education during the day and team sports after school? Kids would develop not only their minds and bodies, but their souls. Every school might have a math teacher, football coach-and a Community Coach. American youth would learn leadership, citizenship, and character-and our democracy would be stronger for it.

The first Community Coaches began work in Newark (NJ) public schools in 1994. Do Something began certifying Community Coaches nationally in 1998.

What it Costs
Per Do Something School: $5,000
To (1) train and certify a Community Coach, (2) provide ongoing materials and assistance, and (3) evaluate & assess results, it costs Do Something approximately $5,000.

Per Month of Operation & Program Expense in 2004: $125,000
Do Something maintains a professional staff and executes all program directives on a lean $125,000 per month (total 2004 budget of $1.5 million). Ninety percent of all funds are spent on programmatic expenses, which means that 90¢ of every $1 is dedicated to delivering Do Something to America's youth. We're able to do this thanks to the in-kind contributions of corporations and friends like Convex who re-designed & hosts the website pro bono. Of course, if we had more money, we could create more Do Something Schools.


November 04, 2004 01:00 PM US Eastern Timezone
Brandeis University Study Finds That the Do Something Financial Education Challenge Sponsored by Citigroup is an Effective and Engaging Way to Teach Students about Personal Finance
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 4, 2004--

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Almost 13,000 Players, over 1,000 Teachers, and an Estimated 30,000 Students Learn from the Challenge

According to an independent study by Brandeis University, the 2004 Financial Education Challenge, a two-week financial education program geared to students in grades K-12, was an effective and engaging way to teach students about personal finance. Of the educators and students who participated in the survey, 90% of educators rated the Challenge experience as "good" or "excellent" and 87% of students reported that they learned a lot about personal finance. To date, almost 13,000 young people have played the game. Over 1,000 teachers have used the curricula, resulting in an estimated 30,000 students benefiting from the curricula.

Sponsored by a grant from the Citigroup Foundation, the Challenge teaches youth the basics of money management through innovative curricula and a corresponding online game. The Challenge was presented by Do Something, which celebrates and unleashes the power of young people to take action and change their world, and Citigroup, the preeminent global financial services company. The program kicked off on tax day, April 14, 2004, and will remain free and accessible until December 2004, via Do Something's website at www.dosomething.org.

Mark DiDonato, a teacher at the St. Aloysius Catholic School in New York City, said: "The Financial Education Challenge was extremely engaging for my students, allowing them to make choices about money and see the consequences, both positive and negative, shortly thereafter. My students seemed to think that money grew on trees: however, after playing the game and learning the curriculum, they realized how all of their choices in daily life affect their personal wealth and achieving goals they may have for themselves. Overall, a great game!"

"By participating in the Challenge and learning how to make informed choices about money, credit and investments, students are getting an education that will serve them well for the rest of their lives," said Dara Duguay, Director of Citigroup's Office of Financial Education.

According to the study, conducted by the Center for Youth and Communities at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management, educators who participated in the Challenge felt that it greatly increased students' knowledge of personal finance.

-- 90% of teachers reported that students liked doing the Challenge activities and that students gained a greater understanding of the importance of savings.

-- Educators also reported gains in students' decision-making skills, as well as a better understanding of the difference between saving and investing.

Students also thought highly of the Challenge, both in terms of how much fun they had and how much they learned.

-- 87% of students felt they learned a lot about managing their money and making good financial decisions.

-- Over 90% of the students reported that the game helped them understand the impact that their choice of a job would have; how decisions made now would affect their future; and the importance of having a financial plan.

-- 85% or more reported that the game helped to convince them to start saving now; recognize the importance of saving rather than spending and 'saving for a rainy day;" understand how their actions could help or hurt the community; and better understand what they should keep in mind when making financial decisions.

-- 80% or more reported that the game helped them learn how to make a budget; how to distinguish between different investment instruments (CDs, etc.); and to understand the importance of helping nonprofits in the community.

-- 94% of students who participated in the online game enjoyed it; 87% would like to play it again next year; and 84% would recommend it to a friend.

The Financial Education Challenge, accessed via www.dosomething.org, is set up in two portions, "learning" and "doing." The "learning" portion includes a free, downloadable, age-appropriate curriculum that teaches students about money management, personal finance, taxes, credit and budgeting. The "doing" portion consists of an online game that allows young people to choose a career and a lifestyle and then throws curve balls over a 10-day period (such as the loss of a job, paying to repair a leaky roof, paying for their children's braces, etc.). The game assists players with analyzing their choices and figuring out how to make better financial decisions.

Recently, Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation announced a 10-year, $200 million global financial education commitment, the formation of a new Office of Financial Education and a global initiative designed to encourage its 275,000 employees around the world to devote time to support financial education and other charitable causes. Under the new initiative, employees may take a day off from work to volunteer for non-profit organizations in their communities.

Do Something celebrates and unleashes the power of young people to take action and change their world by ensuring that they have the role models, resources, and mentors to do something. Do Something's programs focus on the core areas of community building, health, and the environment. For more information about Do Something, visit www.dosomething.org.

The Citigroup Foundation's sponsorship of Do Something's Financial Education Challenge is part of the Citigroup Financial Education Program, a global, company-wide effort to identify, support and implement initiatives that help give individuals, families and communities the tools needed to make sound financial decisions. Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation's recently announced 10-year, $200 million global financial education commitment is focused in three areas: Personal Financial Education, Small Business Financial Education, and Institutional Financial Education. Additional information about Citigroup's Financial Education Program, including Foundation guidelines, links and resources, including the Citigroup Financial Education Program Curriculum and Facilitator's Guide may be found at: financialeducation.citigroup.com.

Citigroup (NYSE:C), the preeminent global financial services company has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.

Contacts

Citigroup
Liz Fogarty, 212-559-0486