YPI 2013: A Winning Sundrop

19 March 2013Avi S, Alex ‘16

The Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) is an organization involving secondary schools all over the world. Their mission is to give back to the community and present students with a reality-based experience by having groups of high school students choose a local charity which they would like to research and represent. Each group prepares and performs a presentation to describe the importance of their charity in the hopes of winning a $5,000 donation from the Toskan Casale Foundation for the local charity they represent. For more on the Foundation please see http://www.toskanfoundation.org

The Grade 9s of Brentwood College School are very fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in this initiative.
A couple of months ago all the Grade 9 students, in their 21st Century’s Studies classes, began studying human rights around the world. After learning about broad problems, our study was narrowed to difficulties in the Cowichan Valley, our home. That’s when the YPI was introduced.

For the past two weeks groups have been working hard to find information and put together a presentation. They visited their charity, got tours of the facilities, and collected information from staff and clients.

From the three classes, five groups made it to the final round. The ‘Finals’ were held in the Lecture Theater where all of the Grade 9s are there to watch and support their peers together with teachers, Grade 12 judges and a YPI volunteer.

Two of the competitors were representing The Sundrops Centre for Child Development. This is part of a non-profit organization which provides services for children with developmental delays and disabilities. Their saying is that everyone wants to “fit in”.

Then there was the Seven Sisters Supportive Recovery Group. This is for women who are overcoming addition and who want to have a new beginning. “You’ve got to be willing, you’ve got to want it” said the director of the charity.

Cowichan Independent Living is very much modelled around the feeling of freedom; they believe everyone should experience this feeling. This charity gets the disabled in the community to get out of their wheelchairs and sail to get a sense of freedom and pleasure. What is really impressive about this organization is that everyone who volunteers and works there has a disability.

Last but not least was the Big Brothers Big Sisters program: “Do you believe in mentoring?” This particular group of students definitely did. In this program an adult mentor is assigned to a child who has a single parent or is simply trying to cope with everything the world throws at them. Statistics were shown on how much having a mentor positively impacts someone’s life. From lower rates of drug use to better grades, the outcomes of someone with a Big Brother/Big Sister are very positive.

Every group had to work very hard to create their final product and it showed. Music, videos, posters, and speeches were all used to express the need of the charity, but in the end only one group wins the $5,000 for their charity.

This year’s donation went to the Sundrops Centre for Child Development presented by Noah C, Cindy Z, Alex S, Trevor E and Bryn G. This was a great outcome and everyone involved came away with new knowledge and sensitivities to the needs of our community and the impressive volunteers and programs who meet them.

Thanks to our teachers. Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Richardson & Mr. Wismer for leading this initiative, my fellow students for their impressive efforts, the impressive volunteers we met along the way and to the Toskan Casale Foundation for its generosity and creativity. 

As the motto of the Sundrops Centre for Child Development reads: Inspiring Beyond Belief.”

Avi S, Alex ‘16