S3 pupils at Whalsay School have continued to take part in the national Youth Philanthropy Initiative this year. YPI is the largest independent programme delivered in Scottish education and provides young people with the opportunity to research and explore social issues that exist in the local community. Under the guidance of Ms.Carr and Mrs.Dunbar, pupils followed a structured program of study which required the use and development of research, teamwork, presentation and competition skills with the opportunity to secure £3,000 for the chosen charities.

This cohort of pupils, who have recently made the transition to S4, had groups who liaised and connected with The Fisherman’s Mission, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Whalsay Heritage Centre, Alzheimer Scotland and Shoard charity shop, Whalsay.

With thanks to Miss Irvine for coordinating arrangements, Mrs. Irvine for presenting the event and our judging panel, our school YPI finals event was held on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th May. We were delighted to welcome members of the local community, representatives from the different charities, Lavinia Schmidt as local YPI leader, Gayle Duffus from the Wood Foundation and pupils from a range of year groups. Thanks to Kate Wills and Ella Irvine who were on the judging panel and analysed all presentations in great detail before the winning team was selected

Our pupils impressed us all when sharing their knowledge and insights on the day; highlighting different social issues and the important work carried out by charities in the area. Congratulations were extended to Brooke Robertson and Carrie Lipthorpe representing Shoard charity shop who were selected as the Whalsay School winners.

Accompanied by Mr.Healy, Brooke and Carrie joined fellow winners from Brae High School and the Anderson High School and travelled south to attend the National YPI finals which were held at the Perth Concert Hall. We were lucky enough to listen to inspiring key note speeches from a range of contributors from different areas of society and a host of pupil led presentations from different schools across Scotland which highlighted issues such as addiction, mental health and support for new parents. It was an insightful, informative and inspiring trip and we congratulate all pupils and staff who contributed to the delivery of this year’s YPI programme.