The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Scotland is an active citizenship programme that raises awareness amongst young people about philanthropy and social issues in their local community. The programme engages a full year-group of students, developing skills and confidence through a contextualised learning experience. The programme raises awareness of social issues and local charities and is a vital means of devolved, locally driven grant-making.

During their Enrichment period, S5 pupils work in teams, researching local charities that would benefit from the donation of £3000 that YPI Scotland offer. They use their creativity and imagination to put together and perform engaging presentations in a bid to win this grant for a local charity that they feel passionately about.

Since being introduced to Scotland in 2008 by The Wood Foundation, YPI has engaged more than 230,000 young people who have taken responsibility for £5m of charitable giving. Greenwood Academy alone has directed over £15,000 to charities in our local community, thanks to YPI.

Here are just some of the local charities who have benefitted from Greenwood’s involvement in YPI over the years:

· Fullarton Hub

· Touched By Suicide

· Disability Motorsports Scotland

· Ayrshire SANDS

· Break the Silence

We look forward to announcing this year’s winning team and charity after the final on March 30th.

This is a Statement from a pupil who has experienced YPI and what they achieved during their time

“After finding out about the YPI lockdown opportunity, we were keen to help our community while we stayed at home to stay safe from covid-19. We had heard of different voluntary organisations working hard in our communities to take care of those less fortunate and support people during difficult times. We recognised we had an amazing chance to gain some funding to go towards these efforts. Through the YPI opportunity we were able to gain skills such as communication, teamwork, and organisational qualities, all whilst being at home. This gave us a sense of purpose in a time where we felt stuck and unable to help. We followed the rules in order to make the most of our time but it was important to for us to be adaptable, learning new ways to work, learn, and help others. “

Our Past Winners