BUSINESS KNOW HOW NORTH EAST AHEAD - SUMMER CONSULTATIONS
On the 23rd June 2009, Business Know How North East partners and associates met to review the suggestions, requests and offers made at the Showcase event and to consider the programme ahead. The BKHNE Co-ordinator will be consulting widely over the summer on proposals in particular:
£30,000 Goes to Local Charities Thanks to Youth Philanthropy Initiative (June 2009)Youth Philanthropy Initiative
North East pupils participating in an innovative new programme, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), have raised £30,000 for local charities this academic year. YPI, a successful international programme engaging over 250 schools in England and Canada, is being rolled out across Scotland following a 3-year investment from the Wood Family Trust totalling £370,000.
YPI gives secondary school pupils hands-on experience of philanthropy that provides them with the skills and awareness to make a real difference to their communities. 10 schools and over 1000 pupils from across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have participated in the programme to date with a further five schools signing up for 2009/10.
Pupils work in small teams to analyse the social needs of their community and identify the local charity they believe is best placed to make a positive contribution. Pupils visit and build relations with representatives from their chosen charity and, following skills training in teamwork, communication and public speaking, present on the reasons their proposed charity is most deserving of support. The group judged to have made the best presentation in each school is granted £3,000 to award to their selected charity.
S4 pupils at Robert Gordon's College were the last group to complete the programme, with additional support from Ideas in Partnership and ACVO, and the successful team secured £3000 for pregnancy counselling charity, Choices.Joy Gillespie, director of the charity, said"Choices are delighted to have been successfully represented by the team from Robert Gordon's College. We are extremely grateful to the pupils who exerted so much energy and enthusiasm and provided us with the opportunity to raise both funds and awareness of the free services we offer".
Other charities which have been recent recipients of cheques from YPI participants include: The Archie Foundation, Forget Me Not, Aberdeen Cyrenians, Befriend a Child, Take a Break, Rape Support Aberdeen, VSA Young Carers and Archway.
Jo Mackie, Chief Executive of the Wood Family Trust and one of the judges at the Robert Gordon's final said "YPI is a perfect opportunity for the Trust to fund smaller charities through a network of skilled young people who take part in the programme through local schools. We hope that more charities become aware of the opportunity and benefit from both the additional funds on offer and the creation of the next generation of new supporters."
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