Be The Change Youth Initiative (BTCYI) was founded by Sydney Guerrette at just fifteen years old as a way to empower young people to use their gifts and talents to create meaningful change in their communities. In 2019, in partnership with Make-A-Wish America, Sydney and her family took BTCYI on the road to share its message nationwide.

At an event in Austin, Texas, Sydney and her brother, Brayden, opened up about their mental health journeys. Their honesty resonated deeply, and soon they were surrounded by students eager to continue the conversation. The next day, event organizers encouraged Sydney and her family to carry this work forward… which lead them to traveling across the country (42 states) over then next 11 months.

Until COVID stranded them in Chattanooga.

Since then, BTCYI has combined their mental health advocacy work together with their message of youth empowerment. They’ve conducted mental health presentations, in partnership with organizations like Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, to over 15,000 students in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. They have also raised over $85,000 for local non-profits in the Greater Chattanooga Area, including $10,000 for Songbird’s Guitars for Kids program.

We are now in our third and final year of piloting what will be our foundational initiative: Ambassadors of Change. Our dream has always been to “educate, equip, and empower” a generation of youth to be advocates for their communities. For the 2025-2026 school year, we have 11 students working on four food insecurity projects that will benefit four different organizations in our community… and thousands of our neighbors.

Our dream is to expand our Ambassadors of Change Initiative throughout Hamilton County and then throughout the Southeast. We have seen how this program can impact students and their community. And we believe this is the change we need. Especially now.

Be The Change Fundraiser

Help us meet our first goal on the way to $40,000 for the 2025-2026 school year!