Grade nine students at BCHS present their research for Youth Philanthropy Initiative

Yesterday Grade nine students at Bonnyville Centralized High School (BCHS) presented their research for the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (VPI).

Charities represented by the winning teams will receive a $2500 donation from the Toskan-Casale Foundation.

“Congratulations to all the students who participated in this worthwhile project,” BCHS stated on social media.

Nicole Garner works in Communications for the Northern Lights Public Schools Board.

“This is an annual event for Grade 9 students,” Garner told Lakeland Connect. “They are divided into groups and each group picks a local service group to profile.”

Garner says then students prepared a presentation on the local service group to present to a panel of judges.

“Trustee Roy Ripkens was one of the judges this year,” Garner said. “Once each group has presented, the judges choose a winner or winners based on the quality of the presentations and the service groups that were profiled receive a donation.”

YPI is an inclusive, multi-award-winning approach to grant-making that grows compassionate communities by connecting high school students to social issues, local charities, and philanthropy at a pivotal stage in their adolescence.

YPI is offered to secondary schools, with one major enrolment requirement: it must be provided inclusively to all students across a grade level, as a marked project within any mandatory course. In teams, students learn about social issues impacting their community, choose a charity that addresses one issue to research and visit, and then share what they learned with their peers through a classroom presentation.

The top presentations from the year advance to the school’s YPI Final, where a youth-led panel of judges selects one team to win a $5,000 grant for the charity they represented.

Students are given authentic responsibility and decision-making power throughout the entire YPI process. Real people. Real world. Real funding.

According to the BCHS Facebook page, “Two teams won.” which means they will split the $5000.

The charities chosen by the winning teams were: Haying in the 30s and the Dove Centre.

Lakeland Connect reached out to Principal Mark Centazzo of Bonnyville Centralized High School to find out more information and to get interviews with the winning teams. His reply was not received at press time but we will update you soon.