Snap Shot:  The Youth & Philanthropy Initiative is a unique citizenship education programme that engages young people across an entire school year group (S2-6), raising awareness of how each individual can make a positive contribution to their local community.  In small teams prominent social service issues are identified, local charities are researched, presentations are developed, and ultimately £3000 is awarded to the most discerning argument presented by students at a School Final.

Programme impact:  In addition to providing an enhanced understanding of what citizenship and philanthropy truly means, the Youth & Philanthropy Initiative successfully develops a range of employability skills. YPI is an intensive, all-round programme which offers young people the opportunity to develop personal, enterprise and citizenship skills together with an experience to support them in becoming responsible citizens and effective contributors to society.  Centred on exploring values, identifying social service issues local to the students, and researching charities, YPI looks beyond the classroom and provides an exciting forum that supports broad community engagement, understanding and empathy. 

Research:  Through a process of research and due diligence, small teams of students consider the needs of their local community and identify a grassroots social service charity they believe can make a positive contribution.  Having learnt how to analyse the charity's management, budget, strategy and staffing arrangements, build relationships with the charity's representatives, and develop skills in advocacy and public speaking, this research is developed into a presentation.       

School Finals:  Each year, at each participating school, the YPI programme culminates in a show case event whereby students are given the platform to present upon their experience, and in their teams compete for a grant of £3000 to award to the small, local, grassroots, social service charity they have researched. 

Curriculum for Excellence:  There are many synergies between YPI and Curriculum for Excellence.  YPI connects with experiences and outcomes across the curriculum, impacting upon Health & Wellbeing, Expressive Arts, Literacy & Numeracy, Religious & Moral Education, Social Studies, and Technologies.  Now highlighted by HMIE as an example of best practice within Citizenship Education in a number of school reports, YPI has the potential to become an educational programme of national significance in Scotland, specifically in its ability to develop wider achievement and enrich the life of the school, whilst also engaging students who can be traditionally disengaged.

Click here for a comprehensive alignment of YPI & Curriculum for Excellence

Get Involved:  YPI is a fully funded, fully resourced and fully supported curricular programme.  Across Scotland we have a network of YPI Regional Facilitators on hand to support YPI delivery, development and embedding within each school.  Considerable work has been focused on ensuring YPI is fit for purpose within the Scottish curricular system.  As a result we are committed to working alongside those schools that both value and prioritise YPI and are working towards embedding YPI within their school curriculum. 

Further Information:  Should you wish to explore YPI in greater detail or explore what is happening in your area please contact our YPI Scotland Coordinator:

Jonathan Christie, Jonathan.christie@woodgroup.com, +44 (0)1224 532541

Further information regarding YPI can be found on our International YPI website and Facebook page:      

www.GoYPI.org

www.facebook.com/goypi.org