Canada's Top Teen Philanthropist

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Giving in Canada

In Memory of Kayleigh Brugger, An Inspirational Teen Philanthropist

Kayleigh Brugger Mackenzie Investments wishes to recognize the accomplishments of Kayleigh Brugger, one of last year’s Top Teen Philanthropists applicants. Sadly, Kayleigh was killed in a car accident on June 30, 2011 at the age of 17. Her story reminds us of the beautiful, lasting gifts of volunteering for both the volunteers and the people they help. Kayleigh started her volunteerism at the Youth for Christ Literacy Centre in her native town of Brandon, Manitoba. Although she was the one doing the teaching, Kayleigh was surprised at how much she learned from the young children she worked with. Kayleigh’s most profound learning experience came when she participated in the “Justis” program in Vancouver’s notoriously rough East Hastings neighbourhood. Confronted with far greater challenges than anything she had encountered in Brandon, Kayleigh was determined to learn and grow as a person by facing whatever experiences came her way. She was moved by the gratefulness shown to her when she did something as simple as braid a homeless woman’s hair. Despite receiving news of the untimely death of her cousin partway through the program, Kayleigh decided to finish the program because “being the light in one person’s day would make everything worthwhile.”

Kayleigh showed a maturity beyond her years and a desire to take something positive away from each experience. Her commitment to doing the right thing in any circumstance is an inspiration to Mackenzie Investments.

To read Kayleigh’s story, in her own words, click here.

Canadian Teens – a powerhouse of giving

As part of our quest to find Canada’s Next Top Teen Philanthropist, Mackenzie Investments commissioned a customized survey of Canadians aged 13-19 to measure their giving and volunteering beliefs, actions and trends.

What we found is that teens, typically viewed as a “me generation,” are pumping their own money into their communities and volunteering close to 100 million hours a year to support the causes they believe in. And they’re doing it for all the right reasons.

Some key findings about teens include:

  • 93% of Canadian teens have been involved in a philanthropic activity
  • Of their own money, the approximately 3 million teens in Canada donate an average of $293 a year; hot on the heels of the average adult donation of $400
  • On average, teens raise $516 per year through fundraising efforts
  • Teens’ top reason for donating time and money is wanting to help the communities they live in, at 59 per cent; another 58 per cent want to make the world a better place

 

The research also revealed other interesting points:

So many causes, so little time

When asked which charitable causes interested them the most, health, poverty and the environment came out on top.

  • Here were the top five Canadian teen choices: “health issues” first (30 per cent), “poverty” (21 per cent), “environmental issues (20 per cent), “global issues” (10 per cent), and “gender issues (4 per cent).

Youth and their parents – who’s doing better?

Teens are a confident bunch; just under half (43 per cent) believe their own generation cares more about charitable issues and causes than their parents generation.

  • Ontario teens have the biggest bragging rights, with 52 per cent believing their generation cares more than their parents did.

But teens still look to parents for guidance

61 per cent of Canadian teens say parents / family members are their charitable role models.

  • So much for peer pressure – only 36 per cent of Canadian teens say friends or classmates are their role models.
  • One-third (32 per cent) say teachers or guidance counselors.

If I had a million dollars…

Teens were asked how much they would give to charity if they won a million dollar windfall; and they said they would donate an average of $134,402.

  • Mackenzie asked the same question in 2007 of Canadian adults aged 18+ and the average donation amount was $117,000 – teens are thinking bigger!
  • Those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were the most generous, saying they’d give $204,226

 


Money doesn’t grow on trees, so where are they getting it?

A whopping 82 per cent of teens in Canada donate money that comes from a part-time job, part of their allowance and organizing fundraising events.

  • Only 16 per cent of Canadian teens ask their parents for extra money to donate.
  • 50 per cent of Albertan teens say their part time job is the main source of the money they donate, compared with 30 per cent nationally.

Brangelina? Sure, they’re great, but I want to change the world

When it comes to philanthropic motivation, only 12 per cent of teens donate time or money to charity because of celebrity influence. They’re more altruistic than that.

  • 59 per cent of teens want to help the community in which they live. • And 6 in 10 want to contribute to making the world a better place.
  • Only one-third say they have to for school requirements, and 16 per cent want to build a name for themselves in their community.

The gift of time

Regardless of age, language or school stage, teens are volunteering. 84% of Canadian teens volunteer at least 5 hours a year to charitable causes - much higher than Canada’s national average of 42 per cent.

  • 56 per cent of teens in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have volunteered their time, compared to 44 per cent nationally.
  • 13 per cent of Ontario teens donate more than 80 hours a year, compared to 9 per cent nationally. Atlantic Canadians are second at 11 per cent, and only 4 per cent of Albertans volunteer more than 80 hours a year.