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SVN
COMPLETE
PRESS PACKET
Downloadable Photos Available
For Immediate Release:
September 15, 2003
Contact:
Patrick Jobin or Stephen Julia,
Co-Directors of
Communication at
303-215-4538
or
Media@SVNusa.org
High School Seniors Launch
Network to Connect Nonprofits,
Student Volunteers
(Denver, Colorado) While most
high school seniors are looking
forward to graduation and
college, three local seniors
have other issues on their
minds: launching a nonprofit
organization to help fellow
students meet increasingly
widespread service learning
requirements. The Student
Volunteer Network (SVN) connects
high school student volunteers
and nonprofit organizations
through a simple Internet
portal. SVN is the first
student-initiated, student-run
organization in Colorado to link
nonprofits with teen volunteers.
Created by seniors Patrick
Jobin, Stephen Julia, and
Charlie Miller, SVN offers a
website with a comprehensive
database of volunteer
opportunities in Colorado
specifically for students.
Through this online portal,
students search for service
opportunities that interest
them, and nonprofit
organizations access
enthusiastic young volunteers.
“We found it hard to find
meaningful volunteer
opportunities,” says Stephen
Julia, one of the founders. “And
we knew lots of our peers had
the same problem. So we started
SVN.” SVN’s goal is to help
students realize there are many
interesting and fun
opportunities for service in the
nonprofit sector, and to help
organizations take advantage of
the large population of student
volunteers.
Over 180 local nonprofits have
signed up to use SVN’s services,
and five schools—East High
School, Colorado Academy, Kent
Denver, George Washington High
School, and Graland Country Day
School—have committed to use the
site. As the technology is
perfected and the site proves
its usefulness, more schools and
organizations will join and
participate.
SVN is the first student-led
project ever accepted by the
Colorado Nonprofit Development
Center, which is currently
supervising fifty nascent
nonprofits. In addition to
guidance from the Center, SVN
has formed a partnership with
Metro Volunteers to share
resources and promote teen
volunteerism. The three students
share all administrative
responsibilities, with Jobin
overseeing technology and Julia
and Miller managing
communications, public
relations, and marketing. By
donating all of their time and
securing support from forty
donors, the founders have
ensured that SVN will always be
free of charge for every
student, school, and nonprofit.
The founders are looking to the
future, working hard to create a
successful and stable
organization before they go to
college. They are partnering
with community leaders to
establish an advisory board that
will ensure the future of SVN,
and also planning an application
process for new student leaders
so that SVN will remain true to
its goal of being 100%
student-run and
student-oriented.
For more information, visit
www.SVNusa.org or contact
Patrick Jobin or Stephen Julia,
Co-Directors of
Communication at
303-215-4538
or Media@SVNusa.org.
SVN Co-Founder Biographies
Patrick
Jobin,
Director of Technology,
is currently a senior at
Kent Denver. Since the seventh
grade,
Patrick
has taken a strong interest in
technology, and has run an
internet solutions company,
Wheeler and Jobin, for over five
years.
Patrick
taught himself all his
technological skills, which
includes extensive knowledge of
HTML, ASP, CGI, pearl, XML,
Flash, CFM, Java, database
integration, and graphic
technologies; he has designed
hundreds of web pages using
these innovative technologies.
Patrick
also has a strong background
with networking and server
infrastructures that he
developed as the Chief Operating
Officer of hostopia.net.
He is now getting more involved
with the banking system as
President of the Kent Denver
Credit Union, the largest
student-run credit union in the
world and a branch of the
Gateway Credit Union.
Academically, Patrick’s
achievements have been
recognized by his placement on
the Headmaster’s List and the
High Academic Honor Role as well
as his initiation into the
national Cum Laude Society.
Stephen
Julia,
Director of Communication in
charge of Nonprofit Coordination
and Development, is also
a senior at
Kent
Denver. Stephen is interested
in business and has experience
with investing, consulting, and
web design. He plans on
pursuing his business interest
in college and as a profession.
An honor roll student,
Stephen
also enjoys golf, tennis, and
the visual arts. A number of
Stephen’s paintings and ceramics
have been in art shows
throughout the Denver area.
Stephen
also participates in the
technical theatre program at
Kent. Stephen values the
nonprofit sector, is committed
to volunteering, and has given
his time to many organizations
in the community.
Charlie
Miller,
Director of Communication in
charge of School Relations, is currently a
senior at
Colorado
Academy.
Charlie has a strong interest in
the nonprofit sector, as his
family has a long tradition of
charitable giving and both of
his parents work for community
foundations.
Charlie
is a motivated honor roll
student who also enjoys acting
(he has appeared in over forty
productions in Denver), soccer
(he is the captain of the
Colorado
Academy
men’s varsity team), and reading
(he is the founder of his
school’s War and Peace
Club). Privately, Charlie does
graphic design, production, and
consulting for
Graland
Country Day School and enjoys
volunteering for the VA Nursing
Home and PHAMALy (the Physically
Handicapped Amateur Musical
Actors League).
Philosophy Statement
It is our belief that, if given
the opportunity, students are
capable of making significant
contributions to their
community. However, not many
youth understand the nonprofit
sector and how it fits into the
whole of society. Increasing
numbers of students are gaining
technical and business skills
and are involved in the private
sector. Our vision is to give
students access to every aspect
of the nonprofit sector and to
help them use their skills and
talents to improve society. The
Student Volunteer Network was
founded by students, and should
forever remain student run.
With an experienced advisory
board to mentor and guide
student leaders, SVN can
maintain its philosophy to be a
successful organization run by
students, for students.
Student Volunteer Network (SVN)
Fact Sheet
Mission:
Our mission is to connect
students, schools, and
organizations seeking volunteers
through an online portal.
Our goal is to facilitate the
interaction among these groups
thereby promoting student
volunteerism. By increasing
awareness and making volunteer
opportunities easily accessible
to students, we seek to
encourage fulfillment through
volunteering.
Who:
SVN was founded by three high
school students:
Patrick Jobin, Stephen Julia,
and Charlie Miller, who share
all administrative
responsibilities.
SVN is a project of the Colorado
Nonprofit Development Center (CNDC),
which provides organizations
with nonprofit status and legal
and financial support. SVN is
the first student-led project
ever accepted by the Center,
which is currently supervising
more than fifty projects.
SVN has also formed a
partnership with Metro
Volunteers, a local organization
that promotes volunteerism in
Colorado. Since SVN and Metro
Volunteers have the common goal
of promoting volunteerism, the
two organizations have worked
closely to share ideas and
resources.
What:
SVN is a student-led nonprofit
organization dedicated to
connecting the high school and
nonprofit communities in
Colorado.
Currently, there is no local
service that addresses this
specific need. The Student
Volunteer Network is unique
because it is the first
organization in Colorado to
provide high school students
with simple and convenient
access to meaningful volunteer
opportunities in their
community.
When:
SVN was founded in 2002. The
website is functional for the
2003-2004 school year.
Where:
http://www.SVNusa.org
Why:
Like many high school students,
the three founders had
difficulties finding meaningful
volunteering opportunities for
themselves with the limited
resources available. They
turned their experiences into
action, and the result is the
Student Volunteer Network, which
hopes always to remain by
students, for students.
How:
Through the generosity of forty
private donors and a Colorado
Academy EPYCS Grant, SVN started
with over $7500 in funds. In
addition, all three directors
have donated all of their time
to this project, and in-kind
donations are estimated to be
worth over $70,000. As a
project of the
Colorado Nonprofit Development
Center, SVN uses the center’s
501(c)(3) status, so all
donations to SVN are tax
deductible.
Statistics:
Almost 83 percent of high school
seniors in 2001 said they
volunteered before college
compared to 66 percent in 1989.
More than
half of American public high
schools and the majority of
independent schools now require
service hours for graduation, so
many more students are
volunteering. According to the
U.S. Department of Education,
the number of student volunteers
has increased by 686 percent
from 1984 to 1997.
According to
a report by Independent Sector
and Youth Service America,
people who begin volunteering at
a young age are twice as likely
to volunteer as adults.
*Statistics taken from
“Charity’s Youth Movement” by
Domenica Marchetti published in
the
January 9, 2003
addition of
The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
57 out of 60 (95%) high school
students interviewed said they
did not have the resources at
hand to easily find a volunteer
opportunity that interested
them. A vast majority of polled
students also agreed that if
they had an easier way to locate
volunteer opportunities they
would volunteer more of their
time.
Over 180 local nonprofits have
signed up to post opportunities
on SVN’s site.
7 schools
will participate in the initial
launch.
Contact:
Student Volunteer Network
PO BOX 460968
Glendale, CO 80246
Phone:
303-215-4540
Toll-Free:
888-313-7227
Media E-Mail:
Media@SVNusa.org
Patrick
Jobin
Co-founder
Director of Technology
303-215-4543
Stephen
Julia
Co-founder
Director of Communication
in charge of Nonprofit
Coordination and Development
303-215-4538
Charlie
Miller
Co-founder
Director of Communication
in charge of School Relations
303-215-4539
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