Shopper-Aide is now £3,000 richer
Kintyre charity Shopper-Aide is now £3,000 richer thanks to pupils from Campbeltown Grammar School.
The grammar is one of the first schools to benefit from CalMac’s partnership with the Wood Foundation’s Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).
S3 pupils worked in groups with YPI to choose and identify social issues they cared about it the community.
They then linked up with various local charities and worked with them to create a presentation on each.
CalMac Ferries’ role was as funding partner and it provided the £3,000 grant.
And, to feel more involved in the process, CalMac undertook a mentoring scheme with the pupils; representatives from the ferry company attended the launch and worked with the groups on two more occasions, providing input on business cases and presentation skills.
Charities represented in the final were Youth Impact, the RNLI, Woodlands Resource Centre and this year’s winner, Shopper-Aide.
Each group delivered a presentation to all of S1 to S3 and some charity representatives. The judging panel this year was made up of Kim Fletcher, depute head, PC Karen Cairns and CalMac representative Blair Moglia.
The judges had a tough job, saying that they found the standard of presentation excellent and it was a very difficult choice to make. The pupils worked extremely hard and all represented their charities well.
The judges picked Shopper-Aide as the pupils involved presented the clearest case for how the money would be spent and how this would impact the local community. With the help of volunteers, Shopper-Aide provides shopping and housekeeping services for the over-60s in Kintyre and also organises social events to prevent social isolation within this age group.
YPI is an active citizenship programme that empowers young people to make a difference in their local communities while developing new skills.
Blair Moglia, who was on the judging panel, said: ‘The quality of the submissions was extraordinary from all the pupils involved.
‘All the charities were worthy causes but the winning team’s presentation not only made a fantastic business case but also grabbed the emotions of the judging panel.
‘Tackling social isolation in the elderly is clearly something they really care about.’
The west coast ferry operator has committed to partnering YPIs in 11 schools across its area of operations.
As well as being on the judging panel, YPI offers CalMac employees an opportunity to mentor pupils in their journey through the programme.
Alex Reid, YPI Scotland national coordinator, said how delighted the organisation was to develop its relationship with CalMac further: ‘Our thanks once again for CalMac’s role in empowering #generationchange in the region to make a real difference in their communities.’