What is a pod? Is it a storage bin? A container that holds peas? Something from outer space?

A pod is all of these things, but the pods we're talking about are groups of philanthropic children who want to help their communities.

In 1981, Chester E. Dekko of Kendallville founded the Dekko Foundation to support educational opportunities in the communities where he lived and worked.

In 1994, the foundation sprouted an initiative called Youth Pods, with the goal of teaching young people to be responsible with philanthropic resources.

The pods are located in Indiana and three other states -- Alabama, Iowa and Tennessee -- where Dekko does business.

The Indiana pod serves DeKalb, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties. Recently, a national conference in Kendallville brought together participants from all the pods so they could share their experiences.

Y-Press talked with five of these youths about their involvement.

Dekko challenges them to study the needs and resources of their communities. The youth can hold several positions in their pod, which consists of 15 youths in grades 8-12 and an adult adviser. Dekko gives each pod $15,000 for grants and $2,500 for administrative costs. Pods also raise more money on their own.

Grant Chandler, 17, is president of his pod in Limestone County, Ala.

"I'm pretty much in charge of presiding over the meeting and keeping things in order," he said.

Amanda Hynek, 15, from Ellston, Iowa, and Kevin Peeper, 18, from Garrett, Ind., are pod treasurers.

"Every meeting I read the treasurer's report, which describes basically how our financial situation is with our administrative funds, which pays for lunch and the place where we have our meeting, and then our other funds, which pay for the grants," Kevin said.

Missy Shiriaer, 17, of Churubusco, Ind., secretary of her pod, said her job "is to write down the minutes and to keep track of who we give money to, who we don't, and who motions what amount of money to give them."

Taryn Knox, 15, of Angola, Ind., does not hold an office in her pod but makes sure her opinion is known. "It's really awesome being a part of a board that makes big decisions in the community," she said.

Most students were nominated by their schools to their area's Youth Pod, and most pods have students from several schools.

There's no formal training, but members learn through their experiences and those of former and current members.

Amanda was one of the first members of her pod, called HELP, which stands for "Helping Enrich the Lives of People."

She said at the first meeting, they did exercises to break the ice and wrote the pod bylaws and mission statement. "We just had to get so we could work together and express our ideas to each other," she said.

Developing a mission statement helps the pod decide which organizations should be awarded grants. The pods also must develop a uniform grant application process.

Pods typically meet monthly to review grants or participate in community service activities.

"As a group, we review our grants. One person reads the grant, and then we discuss it as a whole and talk about it and see if it fits our mission statement and see if the amount of money is appropriate. And if it is, we grant them money. If not, we try to compromise with them," Taryn said.

Each grant is carefully reviewed.

"The first thing we have to look for is if it follows our mission statement," said Grant. "Our mission statement for TRAIL is 'to effectively enhance the lives of the youth in Limestone County by volunteering our time, talents, efforts and resources.'

"One of our questions . . . on our grant application is: How will this project be implemented, and over what time period will it be implemented? Will it be a one-time grant that will just benefit that certain amount of people, or will it be ongoing? Like if it's computer software, then people will be able to benefit . . . throughout the years," he said.

While the group may deem a project worthwhile, funds are limited.

"We only have $15,000, and this past year especially we've become a lot more choosy because we've been getting so many more grants," said Missy.

The pods do not just distribute money; they also take an active part in their communities.

Missy said, "I really enjoy the more proactive grants, where (the project) members actually get out into the community and do things."

Funded projects include creating a mural at the YMCA, providing support for grieving students and building a house.

Missy has seen the effects her pod has had in the community.

"We go to the Head Start schools, and we give them Christmas presents. Like clothing, things that we know they don't have. And we have Santa, and he goes out and he delivers them all our presents. And to see the smiles on their faces is, it's great. So that's one of my favorite parts," she said.

Often the pods receive grant requests from teachers, typically for projects not in the school budgets.

"If it's obvious that one school is lacking in a particular area, and somebody wrote a grant for that certain aspect, we'll more than likely do that grant," said Grant. "We get a lot of special education teachers that want technology, and they don't have enough money in their budget to pay."

Youth agree that their age gives them an advantage in the grant-review process.

"I think that youth . . . have a very unbiased look still on life. We don't think as complicated as adults do yet. We're not children, and we're not quite adults yet, so we're not naive like children are. But we still have the innocence. . . . We won't see the flaws in a grant. . . . Most of the time we see the positive in it," said Missy.

"I think that youth have a better perspective than most older people do because we're the ones that usually participate in the stuff that we are granting," Kevin said.

"It gives you a real sense of fulfillment, knowing that you're kind of helping the community, which our communities need," Amanda said.

All agree their philanthropic work has had a personal effect.

"This experience has really changed my life. It's helped me improve my leadership skills," said Kevin.

"It encourages you to work harder and to get out in the community so much more," said Missy.

REPORTER: Kellie Moore, 12.