All S4 pupils at Auchinleck Academy have been working, throughout the year, on the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). This initiative provides funding which young people can win on behalf of a charity of their choice. Pupils at Auchinleck Academy worked to research the needs of their community and to identify a registered charity making a difference to local people.
A number of pupils invited representatives of their chosen charity to visit the school. They were able to ask these representatives questions to help them to gather detailed information about the impact of the work of the charity in the area. Some pupils visited their chosen charity during their free time.
Pupils then competed against each other by making presentations on behalf of the charity they had chosen. The final of the competition was held in Auchinleck Academy on Thursday 12th March. Heather Morrison, Christie Allan, Scott Weir, Laura Borthwick and Lucy Hutton won the competition and were able to present their charity, Gardening Leave, with a cheque for £3000.
Representatives of several local charities attended the event. The representative of Gardening Leave attended and was delighted with this donation. She was impressed by the quality of the presentation made by the pupils and by their detailed knowledge about the work of Gardening Leave.
