On Wednesday 15 January, Sir E Scott School welcomed local charities at a Youth & Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) charity fair for the secondary pupils. The event, organised by the Volunteer Centre Western Isles in partnership with the school, gave the students an opportunity to find out more about the current charitable work and prepare for this year’s YPI programme.
The goal of the YPI is to raise awareness and empower young people across Scotland. This year, small teams of S3 pupils will pick a charity, research its cause and work, and prepare presentations to champion their chosen organisation. At the end of the programme, one charity will be granted £3,000 of funding.
“YPI is a huge opportunity for our teenagers to gain insight into our local social issues and the organisations that address those issues,” said Kathleen Duce, VCWI Development Worker. “The pupils will have the chance to build relationships with their chosen charities during the process, by interviewing the volunteers and staff. They will discover more about the services which are available locally to them, their families, and our community. They will also learn how to develop an impactful & engaging business case for their chosen charity,” she explained.
Fourteen charities were represented at the fair, six of them in person. The colourful stalls offered a lot of helpful details on local social issues and the efforts of particular organisations. A lovely surprise was a display of photographs of the first Rionnagan Òga playgroup. The S3 pupils were able to recognise their younger selves in the pictures.
There is still a lot of inspiring work to be done by the young people before this year’s funding is awarded. “The pupils should come away from this with pride, knowing that they can make a positive impact in their local community,” said Kathleen Duce.
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