This past week at Robert Gordon’s College, S4 pupils have had the experience of partaking in YPI (Youth Philanthropy Initiative). They’ve been working closely with their chosen charity to win £3000 to donate to the cause. Throughout the week, they’ve enjoyed workshops with Dee Bleakley and Chris Moule, who spoke to them about mindsets and presenting advice. All groups participated in heats on Thursday afternoon with six finalists making it through to the RGC YPI Final.

On Friday, the finalist groups presented to a judging panel consisting of Head of College Mr Robin Macpherson, Val Gilchrest, Trustee of The Gordon Cook Foundation, YPI’s principal funder in Aberdeen, former pupil and entrepreneur James Stanyer (Class of 2017), and former Head of S1 Mrs Anne Watson. The decision was difficult, so difficult in fact that all finalist groups were awarded £100 for their charities. We thank the College for its generosity!

The winning group, group 11, consisted of Alex, Faridah, Hannah, James, Poppy, Victor and Zak. They represented Denis Law Legacy Trust, a charitable organisation in Aberdeen, who provide sporting sessions in areas that may not have the same opportunities. They displayed the need for their charity to win through an engaging slideshow, and even pulled out a football that was passed around to further demonstrate their point. 

We wish a huge well done to our winning group, you should all be very proud of yourselves! All your hard work paid off, and it was an honour to see first hand. We truly hope that the money will benefit your charity greatly!

We also had the delight of hosting a charity showcase for the groups that didn’t make it to the finals. We’re happy to announce that the charity that won the showcase was CFine! They will receive £500 for their charity! Congrats! This year, Mr Macpherson and Governors also agreed to award a highly commended £100 prize to two groups, Maggies and The Breadmaker, well done! 

Thank you to the YPI press team Ella, Emily, Jesh, Kenna, Olivia, and Sara who generated photos and videos throughout the week as well as hosting the final on Friday afternoon.

To learn more about Denis Law Legacy Trust, or to maybe even get involved, visit Denis Law Legacy Trust