Kinlochbervie pupils give ‘personal, passionate and creative presentations’ in school YPI final with £3k going to local food bank
A food bank run by Durness and Kinlochbervie Church of Scotland has been given a welcome £3000 boost thanks to local school pupils.
A team who gave a presentation about the food store were the winners of Kinlochbervie High School’s biennial Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) final held at the school on Monday. The three pupils in the winning team were Grace McCaul and Keira and Luke Czerwik-Hampshire.
YPI is a competition run and largely funded by the Wood Foundation, which works closely with all participating schools.
Teams of students choose a charity in their area, research its work, and then promote the chosen group in a speaking competition, with the winners receiving £3000 for their charity - this year the Ryvoan Trust provided part of the funding.
Three teams took part in the Kinlochbervie High School YPI, representing the food bank, the Marty Mackay Memorial Fund, and Downs Syndrome Scotland.
Heather Paterson, principal teacher of health and wellbeing, said the five-strong judging panel found their task difficult as the students all gave “personal, passionate, and creative” presentations.
Kinlochbervie pupils take part in YPI every two years while in S5/6. but the final was a whole-school event.
It was hosted by S3 pupils Holly Paterson and Katy Forsyth while piano and bagpipe players Iestyn Price-Davies, Arran MacDonald, and Andrew Dorrian provided music during the interval. The Skills for Work hospitality class provided refreshments during the judging break.
Ms Paterson said that this year pupils had to raise £250 of the £3000 grant.
She said: “They will be running a stall at the Kinlochbervie Christmas fayre on Sunday, December 15, but any money raised over and above the £250 will be split between the other two charities. We hope to see lots of people there to help the pupils achieve their target.”