"As we give them opportunity to look outside themselves and help them understand that, oh, there's more to life than the inward focus, there can also be this beautiful space of outward focus."

-Justin Powell

Welcome to Turmeric & Tequila! Today, host Kristen Olson sits down with Justin Powell, executive director of Youthlinc, a Utah-based organization dedicated to developing lifetime humanitarians through local and international service projects. Learn about their impactful nine-month service year program, the new community center, and strategic international partnerships. Justin shares his journey from volunteer to leader and discusses the crucial role of service in mental health and community building. Discover how Youthlinc is shaping the future of humanitarian work, their goals for expansion, and exciting opportunities like their upcoming Friends and Family trips to Fiji and beyond. Whether you're interested in volunteerism, non-profit operations, or making a positive impact, this episode is packed with valuable insights and inspirational stories. Tune in and find out how you can get involved! Thanks to our sponsors Lux Neuro and Declan James Watches for their support. Let’s dive in!

Time Stamps:

00:00 Fitness Fundraiser and Neurofeedback Sponsor

03:38 "From Volunteer to Program Leader"

07:20 "Local and Global Service Initiative"

12:43 Youth Training Center Expansion

15:59 Fundraising: Donations, Grants, and Drives

18:03 Conflicted Life Choices

20:39 Youth Program Sparks Personal Growth

24:20 "Life Skills Through Sports"

28:26 Partnership with Fiji's Education Ministry

31:17 Building Effective NGO Partnerships

34:26 Fostering Honest International Collaboration

36:36 Shifting Perspectives in Youth

40:03 Collaborative Competition for Growth

44:39 Learning and Self-Discovery Journey

47:56 Board's Role in Youth Link's Direction

50:43 Explore Our Nonprofit Initiatives

53:13 Subscribe to Turmeric and Tequila

Justin Powell, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Justin has been involved with Youthlinc since 2008 when he joined the Thailand team as a mentor. Since then, he has been on a total of 19 Youthlinc trips, including a multi-time team leader to Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Rwanda, Peru, Kenya, Fiji, Cuba, and Madagascar. He has lived abroad for several years, including Australia, South Korea, Egypt, and Vietnam. He started Youthlinc’s Global Community Leadership program in 2017 in partnership with Utah State University and Utah Valley University, to integrate in Youthlinc’s community-engaged service model with the academic backgrounds of professors to organize and run study abroad trips for upper division credit. Through this program, Justin has been able to develop additional partnerships in Rwanda, Colombia, Cuba, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Kenya, Peru, and Fiji. Justinwas selected by the Board or Directors to become Executive Director in 2016 when our Founder, Judy Zone, retired after 17 years. Before becoming the Executive Director, he was Real Life Director and International Service Director at Youthlinc and a high school teacher for language arts, social studies, economics, and business management. In 2023, Justin was named the Citizen Diplomat of the Year by US Global Ties, the country’s oldest and largest citizen diplomacy network, due to her personal and professional dedication to building a more peaceful, prosperous world through international exchange and by engaging himself and others in citizen-related work in foreign policy. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Millcreek, having served as club president, foundation chair, service chair, and held a district role as Rotaract chair. Justin has an International Business degree from Westminster College, an English degree from the University of Utah, and a Master’s of Teaching degree from Westminster College.

Youthlinc:

Youthlinc is a Utah based non-profit offering five core initiatives to achieve our mission, which is to create lifetime humanitarians. The Service Year provides a structured yearlong curriculum requiring 80 hours of local service per participant and monthly meetings where students are mentored to take leadership roles in service activities at our international sites. We partner with Rotary Clubs, the University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, businesses, and private individuals who provide sponsorships for students to participate. Each year 300+ students from Utah participate in the Service Year, along with 70+ returning alum leaders, and 80+ adult professionals serving as mentors. Each year, students provide over 22,000 hours of local service in a variety of service sites. Since the inception of the program, over 4,000 Youthlinc students have contributed more than 300,000 hours of service in Utah. Real Life is our afterschool program which serves 400 refugee, immigrant and low socio-economic youth at 14 locations. From September through May, high school and college students, under the guidance of our Real-Life Program Directors and interns, plan and implement a curriculum of life skills, including financial literacy, social and emotional health, nutrition, communication, job and college readiness, civic engagement, and cultural exchange. This program provides additional leadership opportunities to high school and college volunteers, as well as valuable learning, acculturation, and mentoring for at-risk youth.

Facebook: youthlinc.page

Instagram: @youthlinc

TikTok: @youthlinc

LinkedIn: @youthlinc

www.youthlinc.org

www.youthlinc.org/friendsandfamily

www.reallifeut.org this is a link to our Real Life program (afterschool program for refugee & immigrant youth)

Connect with T&T:

IG: @TurmericTequila

Facebook: @TurmericAndTequila

Website: www.TurmericAndTequila.com

Host: Kristen Olson

IG: @Madonnashero

Tik Tok: @Madonnashero

Website: www.KOAlliance.com

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