PURE Youth Jacksonville

Florida

PURE Youth, a leadership program, specifically aims to facilitate discussion and awareness of the impact that education has on society through numerous projects, outreach, advocacy, and fundraising campaigns. PURE Youth also supports projects from all program areas, such as PURE Femme, PURE Abhyasa and other causes PURE champions which gives the ambassadors an opportunity to understand the depth and breadth of the issue, solution and impact on the lives they are helping change.

Even though Jacksonville’s PURE Youth chapter was started in 2020, some of the ambassadors have been with PURE since 2016 and are founding members of the PURE Youth program. The chapter has passionately raised funds for various causes such as PURE Femme’s pad manufacturing project and the Abhyasa program. The team’s fundraisers were very creatively planned and implemented. Donation Drives that ignite the community's sense of compassion to these crucial causes or fun game nights with bingo and kahoot which alleviate the social awkwardness around controversial conversations, PURE Youth understands how to build a community and advocate for important causes.

During the COVID19 pandemic, PUREYouth took special care in fundraising for front-line workers and the JAX chapter had a huge part of contributing to homeless shelters as well. Continuing to change in the face of adversity, PURE Youth Jacksonville will create a rippling effect of good across our global community. The chapter has plans to provide opportunities to the ambassadors to hone on their public speaking and debate skills through various group activities such as participation on internal and external platforms. Projects 2020-2021 Summer :

• Bingo to support biodegradable sanitary pads manufacturing unit in rural India.
• Online origami lessons to create employment opportunities in rural India Fall.
• Addressed food insecurity caused by the economic impact of COVID19 Duval & St Johns County shelters by setting up food donation drives.
• Food pantry research and outreach to Title 1 schools in Duval county Winter/Spring.
• Massive effort to address the issues around periods during the pandemic via menstrual hygiene product collection drives that supported five womens and family shelters in St Johns and Duval County.
• Food collection for two homeless shelters.
• Clothes and Supplies collection for a family shelter in Duval County.
• Sarees for Sanitary Pads Collection Drive.
• Proceeds from this drive support local schools.
• Family Game Night to support Organic Farmers in India 2021-2022 Summer.
• Bingo game night to support students in Saint Lucia (Caribbean).
• Addressing social inequality by donating and reaching out to LGBTQ+ resource centers in Jacksonville Fall.
• Food drive for local shelters.
• Sanitary pads drive.
• Awards, recognition and special contribution Four ambassadors from JAX chapter are Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award recipients.
• Monish Avvaru, Abbhinav Sriram, Anagha Talluri and Abhiram Talluri.

Two ambassadors were bestowed with Daily Points of Light Award. Anagha for her mission to eradicate period poverty globally and Abhiram for taking the initiative to implement vision screening in tribal and rural public schools in India respectively. Anagha was recognized by Volunteer Florida as one of the 30 outstanding volunteers. “Anagha addresses economic disparity and educational empowerment in schools, children’s shelters and special need centers throughout the Jacksonville area with PURE, people for urban and rural education. Wielding an “amazing work ethic“ Anagha’s spare time is spent spearheading fundraisers, contributing to local shelters and raising awareness in her local community” Anagha was also recognized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity.

This honor was in light of Anagha’s work in the PURE femme group. Two ambassadors played an important role in shaping PURE youtube channel, Abhinav Sriram leading and Monish Avvaru working extensively for the program; these youth leaders went above and beyond during their 2020 volunteer work for the channel team. Abhiram and Anagha were part of a PURE Youth group that participated in a volunteer service trip to Barbados visiting women’s shelters, domestic abuse survivors, local schools bringing awareness to menstrual hygiene and awareness. Team 2020-2021 Directors: Monish Avvaru and Anurag Gandepalli Ambassadors: Anagha Talluri, Sai , Saharsh, Sujan, Maanas Gandepalli, Abbhinav Sriram, Abhiram Talluri 2021-2022 Directors: Anagha Talluri, Sai Ambassadors: Saharsh, Sujan, Maanas Gandepalli, Abhiram Talluri, Monish Avvaru, Abbhinav Sriram