Secondary school students in Edinburgh have been responsible for a vital funding boost of £60,000 to local charities through their involvement in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).
The 20 schools committed to The Wood Foundation programme which sees young people work in teams to identify social issues impacting their communities and the charities addressing them. They then develop creative presentations in a bid to secure their school’s £3000 grant.
The top three social issues securing YPI funding this year were support for those facing health and ability conditions, services to address mental health and wellbeing, and action to tackle poverty in Scotland’s communities.
Ali MacLachlan, UK Director at The Wood Foundation, said: “Young people raising awareness of social issues and ensuring this vital funding reached communities at a time of acute need is so important.
“We are incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment shown by schools and students to ensure this important learning and funding opportunity continued with such vigour despite all the challenges of the school year from Covid-19.
“Giving young people a platform and a voice to lead their learning and make a difference to the issues they saw first-hand locally took on additional significance in a year when so much autonomy was taken away.
“We have been blown away by many of the presentations and have great hope that our young people are an exciting force for change.”
Nationally, 220 schools took part in the programme this year channelling £660,000 to charities. Since it was launched in Scotland in 2008, the active citizenship programme YPI has been responsible for more than £5m being granted to local charities championed by young people.
It is Scotland’s largest independent initiative being delivered in education, having empowered more than 230,000 young people to advocate for causes they care passionately about while developing vital skills.
Barbara Johnstone MBE is Organiser and Trustee of Ravelrig RDA which secured two grants this year. She said: “The successful groups were impressive from the start and had really interesting questions.
“They clearly took on board all I had shared with them in their presentations. YPI is so beneficial for the personal growth of the youngsters and the reward for us is massive.”
Hannah Treagus was one of the students in the successful team. Hannah has volunteered at Ravelrig RDA for more than two years. She knew the incredible role the horses and centre had to play in supporting families dealing with a host of issues.
Hannah said: “Fundraising has been really hard hit by Covid-19 and I really wanted to share the passion I have for Ravelrig RDA through YPI. We worked really hard on our presentation and were really determined to do well. I am so pleased we secured this funding which will go towards a new horse when the centre can reopen properly.”
As an education programme, teachers believe that YPI is improving young people’s skills for learning, life, and work in areas such as teamwork, decision making, research, creativity, communication, problem solving and resilience. They also believe students are becoming more empathetic and engaged in their communities, better able to discuss social issues and committing to be active citizens.
YPI is managed and majority funded by The Wood Foundation and is supported by a network of likeminded funding partners. In Edinburgh it is supported by abrdn. Its Head of External Affairs Jeff Newton said:
“YPI enables young people to make a real difference to their local communities whilst showcasing their commitment, creativity, and innovation. We are proud to be a lead funder of the programme which enables young people to have their voices heard in the Edinburgh community.
“For the past three years colleagues have been involved with mentoring students and judging YPI Showcases, and we have always been incredibly impressed by the maturity and conviction of the presentations.”
The Wood Foundation is a venture philanthropic organisation committed to addressing social inequity and investing in developing young people in Scotland, as well as economic investment in the UK and East Africa. It was established by its Chairman Sir Ian Wood and his family in 2007.
| Balerno High School | Kirknewton Community Development Trust | ||
| Boroughmuir High School | Stepping Stones | ||
| Castlebrae High School | Thistle Foundation Health & Wellbeing | ||
| Craigmount High School | Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity | ||
| Craigroyston Community High School | Ferrywell Youth Projects | ||
| Currie Community High School | Kids Love Clothes | ||
| Fettes College | TalkTime Scotland | ||
| Firrhill High School | Lothian Veteran’s Centre | ||
| Forrester High School | Conscious Edinburgh | ||
| George Watson’s College | Cyrenians | ||
| Gracemount High School | St Columbas Hospice | ||
| Holy Rood RC High School | Steps to Hope | ||
| James Gillespie’s High School | Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled | ||
| Leith Academy | Joshua Nolan Foundation | ||
| Liberton High School | Edinburgh Women’s Aid | ||
| St Augustine’s High School | The Welcoming | ||
| St George’s School | Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled | ||
| Stewart’s Melville College | Children 1st | ||
| The Edinburgh Academy | U-Evolve | ||
| The Mary Erskine School | Alzheimers Scotland |