Young people from across Scotland took centre stage in Perth last week to celebrate a £9.3 million legacy of youth-led philanthropy – and to make an unmistakable case for why their generation deserves to be heard.

The YPI National Event 2026, held at Perth Concert Hall on 10 June, brought together more than 1,100 young people, educators, third-sector leaders, charities, and funding partners. The event, delivered by The Wood Foundation, marked another successful year of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) operating across all 32 Scottish local authorities, with £840,000 directed to grassroots charities in the past 12 months alone.

Representatives from ten local authorities presented on the day, each championing a different charity and cause – from homelessness and domestic abuse to dementia and mental health. These were not issues they had simply read about. They were causes these young people had engaged with directly: visiting charities, speaking with service users, and conducting months of research before competing to direct a £3,000 grant to the organisation they believed in most.

The event was hosted by pupils from The James Young High School, whose own winning presentation earlier in the year earned them the grant, and then the responsibility of bringing Scotland’s youth philanthropy community together.

YPI, delivered and principally funded by The Wood Foundation, has operated since 2008 on a straightforward but ambitious premise: that young people are not simply burdened by Scotland’s deepest challenges, they are ready to lead on solutions to them now. The programme asks secondary school pupils to research the social issues affecting their own communities, identify the charities working to address them, and compete to direct real funding, placing genuine trust and responsibility in their hands.

Keynote speaker Dee Bleakley drew a direct line between the confidence and skills developed through programmes like YPI and the civic leadership Scotland needs from the next generation. Attendees were also treated to music from sea shanty sensation Nathan Evans and acclaimed musical duo SAINT PHNX, who debuted their new track ‘Home’ ahead of Scotland’s World Cup campaign.

Lizbeth Paul, YPI Director at The Wood Foundation, said:

“Our communities thrive when young people are given the platform to lead, and the National Event proved exactly that. By immersing themselves in youth advocacy, these young people have shown immense social action and a profound commitment to supporting those in need. The real power of YPI lies in the lifelong skills it builds. By tackling local social issues head-on, these young people are preparing themselves with the vision and determination required to lead our country through its greatest challenges in the years ahead.”

Sarah Chew, CEO at The Wood Foundation, said:

“At a pivotal time when stimulating good advocacy in our young people is vital YPI offers a new model. One that starts in the classroom, reaches into communities, and asks young people not what they think about Scotland’s problems, but what they intend to do about them. When given the platform and the support, they are more than ready to answer.”

Since launching in Scotland in 2008, YPI has seen more than 430,000 young people across all 32 local authorities take responsibility for directing a cumulative £9.3 million to grassroots charities. Many have gone on to carry that civic responsibility into their adult lives as volunteers, advocates, donors, and community leaders.