A team of S5 students from The Nicolson Institute has secured a grant of £3000 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).

The group spoke passionately about the charity and its local connections, and they intend to train as volunteers to support its work in Stornoway.

Judges for the online final included Caroline MacIver, Chair of the Parent Council, local musician Colin MacLeod, Stuart McMaster from CalMacFerries, and Kate MacSween and Holly Martin, YPI alumni.

YPI is an active citizenship programme which empowers young people to make a difference in their community about causes which they care about deeply. Through a unique programme of teamwork, research and competition, an entire year group takes part and just one team is chosen to secure the grant.

In the west of Scotland, YPI is supported by CalMac Ferries. Stuart MacMaster said:

“This was an incredibly inspiring final, and the first I have been part of online. We are very proud of our partnership with YPI which allows us to give back to our communities through our young people.”

The other finalist charities were Crossroads Lewis and The Leanne Fund.

Dr Frances Murray, Headteacher at The Nicolson Institute, said:

“We are very proud of the commitment shown by our students and local community to rally around YPI in this way and take forward this important opportunity for skills development and local charitable giving.”

YPI is the flagship initiative of The Wood Foundation. Its Deputy UK Director Jonathan Christie said:

“Congratulations to The Nicolson Institute’s winning team for securing funds for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

“YPI is all about empowering and engaging young people to understand their role within their community and the ways in which they can make a difference while developing their own personal life skills.

“The support of CalMac is important in terms of the sustainability and growth of YPI and we thank them for their continued commitment.”

More than 250 schools in Scotland have committed to delivering YPI this academic year. Since it was launched in Scotland by The Wood Foundation in 2008 it has empowered more than 200,000 young people to make a difference in their communities, granting in excess of £4.5m to local charities addressing a range of social issues. Volunteer Centre Western Isles supports the programme delivery locally.