A group of S2 students from Campbeltown Grammar School secured £3000 for Kintyre Foodbank thanks to an impactful and thought-provoking Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Showcase.

Cameron Ralston, Faith Ferguson, Finlay Wilson, and Ava Lawson were one of five teams representing their chosen charities at the school’s final event in front of a panel of judges, including Fiona Borland of local funding partner CalMac who is a former pupil of the school.

Members of CalMac’s local team had mentored each of the finalist teams, providing vital industry expertise in areas such as business case, creativity, communication, and teamwork.

Fiona Borland said:

“We really value the partnerships we forge with our local schools through YPI. The mentoring experience allows us to work alongside students and share our insight and experience, while learning from them.

“This YPI Final Showcase was extra special for me as I got to return to my old school. It was a great opportunity to see the new building while being incredibly inspired by this new generation of Campbeltown students.

“YPI offers us not only an opportunity to engage with schools, but to ensure our funding reaches local charities doing vital work in our communities.”

During their presentation to the judges which also included two alumni of YPI, Callum and Amy; Neil McKnight, Head Teacher of Tarbert Academy; and Elaine McGeachy, Deputy Head of Campbeltown Grammar School, the winning group shared that £3000 would feed 10 families in the local community for one month. They played an interactive game with the audience to guess how much of certain food items you could but for £3000.

David Mitchell, Acting Head Teacher at Campbeltown Grammar School, said:

“It was wonderful to see the amount of effort our young people put into their YPI presentations. All five presentations were superb. Huge thanks to all involved in making this such a great opportunity for our students.”

The other charities represented were Scottish Women’s Aid, Autism on the Water, Mairi Semple Fund, and Marie Curie.

YPI is a programme managed by The Wood Foundation which empowers young people to be active citizens, raising awareness and funds for charities in their local areas. A full year group from each of the 280 participating secondary schools takes part each year in this unique programme of teamwork, research, and competition.

Lucia Giuntoli, YPI Partnerships Manager, said:

“Thanks to CalMac for their ongoing support of YPI regionally through grant funding and mentoring opportunities. This work with likeminded partners has an important impact on the experience we can offer our partner schools.”