Well done to everyone who took part in our annual charity fair for the Young Philanthropist Initiative. Working in teams, all Year 10 pupils researched and presented on local or national charities, raising awareness of social issues while developing their confidence and communication skills. Their messages were moving and inspiring.
Many congratulations to the 2023 YPI winners – Lola Elliot, Ela Kaymak, Emma Ingham and Annie Hume from 10Q. The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, also known as YPI, is an integral part of the Key Stage Three Learning for Life (LLW) curriculum at Bloomfield. The initiative teaches secondary school students the fundamentals of philanthropy, and provides the opportunity to play a direct role in making a financial grant to a local social service organization within their community.
The 2023 programme ran throughout the summer term with all Year 10 pupils taking part.
After our launch assembly in early May, the hard work on the projects began in earnest. Once pupils had arranged themselves into teams from within their form classes, they began investigating local issues. Teams researched local grassroots charities that exist in their community to assist vulnerable members of the local population. The teams identified and ‘adopted’ a chosen charity which addressed their chosen issue.
Teams contacted and visited their chosen charity, conducted interviews with staff and volunteers and researched their work. Based on their research, teams hosted a ‘stall’ to showcase the their charity at our now annual Charities Fair during the penultimate week of term. This was a memorable afternoon – the professionalism, expertise, and passion from all our Year 10 pupils on display was inspirational.
Eight teams were chosen from the YPI Fair to make the case for their chosen charities at our final ‘Dragons Den’ style event. This time teams were required to make a formal presentation before a panel of judges. All teams were hugely impressive but after much deliberation the judges rewarded Lola, Ela, Emma and Annie for their passionate advocacy on behalf of The Northern Ireland Children’s Heartbeat Trust. The trust supports children, young people and their families affected by heart disease in Northern Ireland.
