From Root2Rise to Reinvestment: A Changemaker Story

March 3, 2026

Last fall, during our Root2Rise young women’s leadership cohort, we piloted something new.

As part of the experience, each participant was invited to identify an organization making a meaningful impact in her life or in the lives of other young people. Then we placed real trust in their hands.

Each young woman received $400 to direct to the organization of her choice.

One of those young women was Jezzy Munyiri.

Jezzy is a Root2Rise graduate and a two-time participant in F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P., a behavioral health career awareness program developed by Western Nebraska Behavioral Health and funded in part by BHECN.

When given the opportunity through our Changemakers pilot, she directed her $400 award back to the very program that helped shape her path toward a future in behavioral health.

Recently, BHECN reached out to share that they had featured Jezzy’s story in their newsletter and wanted to highlight the Changemakers Fund as part of it. We were honored to see her leadership recognized beyond our own Circles.

What moves me most is not the dollar amount. It is the stewardship.

Jezzy experienced something meaningful. She stepped into leadership through Root2Rise. And then she chose to reinvest in the ecosystem that supported her.

This is participatory grantmaking in action. Not theory. Not aspiration. Embodiment.

We watched this pilot closely. The young women reflected deeply. They asked questions. They considered impact beyond themselves. They took the responsibility seriously.

So this year, we are embedding this practice permanently into our model.

Every member of our Youth, Community, and Administrative Circles will receive a $400 Changemakers allocation to steward. And within both Root2Rise and Young Men Rising, this investment will now be a standing component of the cohort experience.

These programs already bring together youth from across the state in a virtual leadership cohort and culminate with a $2,000 investment to explore their next steps in college, career, or personal growth. The $400 Changemakers allocation now becomes an integrated expression of shared stewardship within that broader leadership journey.

We are moving from pilot to practice. From experiment to structure.

When we trust young people and community members with real responsibility, they rise to it.

👉 You can read the full original article from BHECN HERE!

Youth leadership is not symbolic. It is tangible. And it is already shaping our region.