October 2007
Philanthropy is for everyone. It is for those at either end of their careers; it is as much for the teenaged student as it is for someone enjoying an active retirement. Our new programme, the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) aims to show pupils just that: that giving can be a lifelong and rewarding pursuit.
We have launched YPI as a pilot scheme in ten London schools, with the aim of providing pupils with the tools for strategic philanthropy. Developed in Canada by Julie Toskan-Casale, the founder of MAC Cosmetics and an alumna of The Philanthropy Workshop, YPI’s method is simple: it puts the responsibility for building a better community directly into the hands of the students.
Each school is given a cheque for £3000, and the students, having been divided into small teams, act as advocates for the local charities that they believe to be the worthiest recipient of this cheque. To prepare their case, they visit the organisation of their choice, and see for themselves how they are tackling a given social issue.
Eleanor Harries, a teacher at the school where YPI was first launched in the UK - Parliament Hill, in Camden – enthused about the hands-on nature of the scheme. "The pupils were really engaged, it was brilliant," she said. "Usually with charity projects pupils just raise money, with YPI they actually meet with the charity and therefore develop a greater understanding of the importance of charities."
So, whether or not the students win the debate, they therefore walk away with something more important: with the invaluable experience of what it is to be an active citizen. YPI has provided this benefit to pupils in over 120 Canadian schools, and our aim is to introduce to 100 UK schools over the next three years. Our hope – and it is a confident one – is to demonstrate that philanthropy is also for the young; and, most crucially, that it is fun.
Dr. Salvatore LaSpada
Chief Executive
October 2007