Dornoch pupils to take part in Youth Philanthropy Initiative
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Last week saw the reintroduction of the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) to the Dornoch Firth Campus, giving Dornoch Academy’s S3 pupils the chance to win £3000 for the charity of their choice.
The launch saw acting head teacher Norman Ross introduce the project and speak briefly about philanthropy in general.
He then handed over to the Youth And Philanthropy Initiative facilitator for the Highlands Steve Dougan, who joined the assembly via video link.
After watching a video about the project, Peter Newman, the teacher coordinating the project in school this session, outlined for the pupils exactly how it would be operating.
YPI has been running since 2008 and was designed by the Wood Foundation. In the past, young people from Dornoch have won money for charities such as the Assynt Mountain Rescue and the Young Karers East Sutherland (TYKES).
Pupils research the range of charities which are operating in their area and are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), and then work with the charities to present a case for what they would do if they won the money.
The event culminates in a final in which representatives of the charities are invited in to the school before the pupils make their presentations and a team of judges decide which group has best met the criteria.
After the launch, Mr Newman said: “Done well, this will be the best thing these pupils have been involved with in their time in education to date.
“It gives the young people real ownership.
“It allows them to channel their talents to support organisations which they actually care about and which are working in their communities.
“It also provides real money which, for small, localised charities, can offer a genuinely life-changing amount of money.”
Mr Dougan said: “I was delighted to launch YPI at Dornoch Academy and am very excited to see how Dornoch’s S3’s work with local charities over the next few months before one team wins a cheque for £3000 to present to their chosen charity.
“This a great opportunity for these young people to develop key life skills while supporting their local community.”
Mr Ross said: “We’re delighted to get YPI running again. Our pupils always display empathy and compassion. We look forward to seeing them work to support others.”
Since its introduction, YPI – the biggest independent initiative in Scottish education – has engaged more than 270,000 young people who have taken responsibility for
£6 million of charitable giving.
The Wood Foundation, which manages and principally funds the scheme has dedicated teams which work closely with all participating schools to fully realise the opportunities for their settings. The programme raises awareness of social issues as well as local charities.
In Sutherland, Golspie High School is also taking part in YPI.
