Earlier this year, Ezette Redzuan, Economics major and graduating senior at Michigan State University, won a $100 mini-grant as a member of the Global Young Leaders Network (GYLN) to organize a community service project. Ezette is an international transfer student from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and joined GYLN soon after transferring to MSU to become more involved with the East Lansing community.
Ezette’s project, “The Impact Initiative,” made use of the mini-grant to support Haven House, a homeless shelter in East Lansing that provides emergency housing and support services to families, and also offers a housing assistance fund to support the costs incurred during the transition to permanent housing, including the application fee, the first month’s rent, and furniture, among others. Upon learning that the housing assistance fund at Haven House had been depleted, Ezette knew she wanted to help expedite the process of helping homeless families successfully relocate to permanent homes, especially in the midst of the Michigan winter.
After getting to know Haven House’s mission and priorities through her previous volunteer work there, Ezette used the GYLN mini-grant to allocate resources to volunteers who could facilitate fundraising for the housing assistance fund at Haven House, as well as to organize the collection of donated items such as hygiene products, bedding, and additional necessities.
Ezette designed the project to engage volunteers from across the globe, most of whom were high school and college students. The goal of the project was for these young people to discover their capabilities while making a meaningful impact.
To make the project as accessible as possible, Ezette created opportunities for volunteers to participate online:
“One of the challenges of this project was the inability to engage physically with volunteers from across the globe, as many of them were residing abroad. Because of that, I adapted this project to be 100% online to make sure that distance didn’t hinder the opportunity for engagement.”
By including opportunities for online engagement, Ezette fostered capacity building and mentorship for youth abroad, as well as at MSU. Ezette specifically designed the project to give young people with no prior volunteer experience a chance to learn about different aspects of community work, including marketing, logistics, project administration, fundraising, and events management.
Through different roles, volunteers could choose to learn about the logistics behind collecting donated items, how to organize and manage fundraising efforts across international barriers, and generate effective marketing flyers and email campaigns to spread the word to community leaders across the globe.
Ezette shared what she felt was one of the the most successful aspects of the project:
“I have achieved success with my targeted goal by providing my peers living abroad with the chance to experience new roles, sharpen their professional skills, and add to their resumes. I feel grateful for this opportunity to facilitate an environment where personal and professional growth can be gained regardless of location or prior experience."
Within three months, The Impact Initiative was able to raise over $1,000 combined across funds and the value of donated items, and in recognition of the community service hours behind this project, Ezette was awarded the Spartan Volunteer Service Award. Through this experience, Ezette shared that she learned to go out of her way to find opportunities to become more engaged and not be held back by fear:
“My initial motivation for this project came from a desire to step out of my comfort zone, especially as an international student. The connections I have made through volunteering have helped open new doors for me and expanded my network to be able to interact with community leaders, small business owners, and student leaders.”
Ezette hopes to make use of the lessons learned from this experience in her future professional goals, merging her interests in economics and public service to fully understand the impact of resources and community engagement, as well as continuing to organize similar volunteer-based projects. She shared that most of all, she hopes to be the kind of person who drives change, and inspires other people to contribute to their communities.
Ezette also expressed her gratitude to her peers and fellow GYLN members for their support, to Alexandra Jarvis, the advisor for GYLN, for her guidance, as well as to the Sunwah Foundation for the funding that made this project a reality:
“At first, I didn't have high expectations for GYLN due to its modest size. But now I realized that GYLN isn’t just a platform; it’s a gateway. The opportunities here don’t just add value—they multiply, opening doors to even bigger and more unexpected possibilities. Being part of this community has given me access to new experiences I never imagined, and if there’s one thing I can say with certainty, it’s this: If you’re looking for a place that will propel you forward in ways you never saw coming, GYLN is where you need to be.”
About GYLN:
GYLN was established in 2014 by the Sunwah Foundation, which has collaborated with GYAN to start a chapter on MSU's campus. Joining a network of ten existing chapters across the globe, GYLN USA is building a community of leaders who are committed to serve, equipped to lead, enterprising in action, and plugged into a network of like-minded individuals who are passionate about social development.
Students belonging to GYLN at MSU have an extraordinary opportunity to travel to international forums as well as plan activities and service projects with financial backing from the Foundation and operational support from chapter coordinators.
Interested in joining? Email for more information.