Volunteering gives Gen Y voice in community

May 25, 2011 by Tamara Bell

[HTML1]

In today’s episode of Keeping Up with Gen Y, we meet the May Y Gen Cares volunteer, Courtney Graham, who will soon be joining Austin Pets Alive, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to making Austin a no kill city for homeless pets.

Courtney encourages Gen Y who, like herself, have put off community service because of the time commitment, to make that leap. Volunteering only a few hours every week or two can give a nonprofit a much-needed boost. She also explains how volunteering gives Gen Y a voice in their community.

More about Courtney Graham
An Austin resident originally from Paris, Texas, Courtney Graham is a newbie to volunteering. She’ll soon be joining Austin Pets Alive, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to making Austin a no kill city for homeless pets.

A 2010 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and English, she works as an Executive/ Public Affairs Assistant at the Texas Travel Industry Association after spending semesters interning at the State Capitol for several House members. She also serves as the staff liaison to the association’s Legislative Affairs and Future Leaders Committees.

Filed Under: World Tagged With: tamara bell

About Tamara Bell

Tamara Bell is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Y Gen Out Loud, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that provides a platform for Generation Yto discuss national politics and public policy issues.

Tamara began her journalism career as a staff reporter for the Dallas Times Herald. A few years later, she moved to York, Pa., as a political reporter for the York Dispatch, covering local, state, and national government as well as writing investigative stories for the mid-sized daily newspaper.

A Texas girl at heart, Tamara returned to Dallas a year later to work as press relations director for the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. John Bryant. The next year, she moved to Austin and the Texas Legislature, where she stayed for 15 years. While at the Legislature, Tamara worked for Democratic House members as Chief-of-Staff and Press Secretary, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Senate State Affairs Committee chaired by a Republicansenator.

In 1996, Tamara became co-owner of a political newsletter covering state issues and elections. As Editor-in-Chief, Tamara helped shape the weekly publication into a must-read for state officials, legislative aides, and lobbyists. More recently, Tamara wrote a regular column analyzing coverage by the Texas Capitol Press Corps for an online political publication. She also works as a lecturer in the Advertising Department at The University of Texasat Austin.

Tamara has also been a judge for the 2010 Bright Ideas Award given by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, served as a panelist at the Society of Professional Journalists 2010 Region 8 Conference where the theme was How to Save Journalism, and has been a guest lecture for the Advertising Department’s Internship course, speaking about the jobs outlook for graduating seniors.

Tamara earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M University. She resides in Austin with her son, Jackson.

Tamara Bell is also the Host of Keeping Up with Gen Y on WomensRadio. Keeping Up with Gen Y offers discussions, interviews, and commentary about important issues of the day from the perspective of Generation Y (18-to 30-years-old). Aimed at all generations interested in learning about and inspiring young people, this show features professionals, experts, researchers, and members of Gen Y who share insights and experiences about the topics on the minds of today’s young adults.