Bryony House!
Sacred
Heart School of Halifax girls’ division held its final presentation for
the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) this afternoon. Five teams of students have been engaged in learning and researching about
a charitable organization. They created engaging and persuasive
presentations on a local charity they believe is best placed to tackle an issue
they are passionate about. At the YPI
Presentation, the winning teams from each class presented in front of
a large audience and a panel of high-profile judges, in support of their chosen
charities. This event was a moving, inspiring, exciting and a dramatic
occasion as one team was awarded a cheque of $5,000, to grant
towards their chosen charity. Sacred Heart School is one of the few
institutions across Canada and the only school in Nova Scotia to have
received this opportunity to collaborate with The Toskan Casale Foundation to
implement this program.
CBC News sent a camera crew to cover the event today. They got to see valuable work and research which went into preparing these
engaging presentations. They heard about charities and local social issues
which students at our school have become passionate about. Presentations were made on the following
local charities.
1. Open Door Women’s
Care Centre in Halifax
2. Bryony House
3. Phoenix House
4. Feed Nova Scotia
5. St John Ambulance
Therapy Dogs
Congratulations to all the students who researched their charities. What a tremendous learning experience for everyone. Thank you also to Dr. DaSilva for directing this program with the girls and to all the judges.
__________________________________
What is the Youth and PhilanthropyInitiative (YPI)? It is an active citizenship program that aims
to raise awareness of philanthropy, charitable organizations and social issues
affecting local communities. In Canada,
the program is targeted towards high school students in grades 9 and 10. Canadian students taking part in YPI work in
small teams, considering the needs of their community and identifying a local
social service charity they believe can make a positive contribution. Receiving guidance on how to analyze impact,
management and strategy, they are encouraged to build relationships with the
charity, visit their offices or facilities, and develop a strategy for
advocating to their peers on the charity’s behalf. The students work towards developing a
presentation that is shared with their class, and the most impactful teams will
go on to participate in the YPI Final School Presentation Assembly and be given
the chance to win a $5,000 grant for their charity.
YPI
started in one school in Canada in 2002, and has continued to develop and gain
momentum. Since then, YPI has positively
engaged secondary school students across Canada and awarded millions of dollars
to small, local, service charities. In
2010, the program was described in the UK’s The Times as “something every
teacher should eagerly find out about and think of introducing to their
school.”
Toskan
Casele Foundation: Principal Funder
& Operational Manager of YPI Canada
YPI is
a program of the Toskan Casale Foundation
