The Youth Philanthropy Initiative Finals – Transferring Energy

5 March 2012Annie B

On Wednesday evening, half of the Brentwood students sat in their rooms in various states of study; another quarter filled the seats of the Bunch Theater while sixty or so stood, danced and sang on stage for the annual musical. Among these students spread out across the campus, every Grade 9 was noticeably missing – noticeably, as the halls of houses and the seats of the theater were void of their usual energy and commotion. Amidst the bustle of Wednesday night, this youthful energy was concentrated at a point east of prep and north of musical – the Lecture Theater – and aimed at a specific target: the finals of the Youth Philanthropy Initiative presentations.

The YPIs, familiar to any student who has been through Grade 9 at Brentwood in the past four years, is a project organized and funded by the Toskan Casale Foundation, devoted to cultivating philanthropic ideals in youth. Students in every Global Studies 9 class visit and familiarize themselves with a local charity or non-profit organization – their mission statement, facilities, goals and funding – and prepare a presentation. The best presentation in each of the four classes then goes on to the finals, intent on persuading the audience of Grade 9s and the judges that their chosen charity is the one most deserving of aid.

The incentive?

A five thousand dollar donation, funded by the Toskan Casale Foundation, for their charity.

Knowing this, the energy in the theater is palpable. Groups arrive early to check their clothing and shoes, go over lines together, pace up and down the stairs. The projection room is filled with people fiddling with cables and muttering about audio channels; girls laugh nervously; someone starts plunking away at the piano. Finally, the Grade 9 audience begins filtering in, the judges file into the back row of seats, and a quiet descends upon the theater.

The presentations begin with a sobering demonstration; Miren G and Hannah S, representing Cowichan Women Against Violence, urge all of the girls in the room to stand. “One third of you will experience abuse in your life” Miren states; out of the two hundred and eleven young women at Brentwood, this statistic indicates that seventy of us will, one day, need the help of an organization akin to this Cowichan charity.

The representatives of the Victoria Cool Aid Society then share the story of a fifteen year old homeless girl, emphasizing that without the fortune of circumstance, her story could be ours.

The maturity and passion behind each presentation is astounding, and continues as Calder M, Kevin Z and Zhihao Z present the case of the Clements Center to their fellow classmates through the use of video and speech. Stories of misfortune, hard work and hope fill the Lecture Theater to the brim, and the motive behind the night is brought to life through the energy of not only the presenters, but the energy of the audience as well.

Adversity and hardships exist, but can be countered through initiatives such as these; as Tom W, Jordan S, Emilio A and Sade K, representing Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Center, said, “We do feel hopeful, hopeful for the future and hopeful for our charity”.

Anyone willing to work to create change where it is needed deserves to be rewarded, just as every group Wednesday night deserved to win. Undoubtedly, the judges had difficulty choosing the winners of the competition, but Mr. McCarthy, Ian M, Sarah S, Liam K and Katie R came to the final decision. At the end of the night, Emilio, Jordan, Tom and Sade were awarded the coveted cheque, and the Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Center gained $5000 to put towards their facilities, healing programs, and summer camp, Project Respect.

By reaching out to today’s youth, the charity hopes that in the future, their existence will not be necessary. “Any charity like this wants to go out of business” – and the presenters Wednesday night are helping to create this change.

Thanks must be given to everyone who made this night possible, from the Grade 9 teachers to Mr. Wismer and the panel of judges. For some, the absence of the youngest Brentwood students might have been welcomed; less chatter during prep, less bounding through the halls, less whispering in the rows of theater seats – less unending energy. However, on Wednesday evening, the Grade 9 class proved that their energy, ever-present as it is, is a great resource to draw on – and is being put to good use.

Annie B