“Thought-provoking” presentation sees Stromness S3 students secure £3k for ORSAS

A team of S3 students from Stromness Academy has secured a grant of £3,000 for Orkney Rape & Sexual Assault Service (ORSAS) through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).

The group – made up of Alida, Erin, Eden, Sofia and Keryn – compiled a presentation that detailed information about how rape and sexual violence against women concerns them and how ORSAS is working to both prevent these offences and support those who have been affected in Orkney.

Their bravery in choosing this issue and in standing in front of their peers impressed the judges. They began by diming the lights and recreating a candle lit vigil like those seen across the country following these crimes. The newspaper headlines played on the screen drawing the audience’s attention to the impact of these acts. As they asked pupils with red not green cards to stand, they helped the audience to understand that a third of us are personally affected by this type of violence in our lifetimes.

Their thought-provoking presentation saw them win the public final, which was judged by Council Convener Councillor Graham Bevan, representatives from Voluntary Action Orkney and two of the winning team from last year.

YPI is an active citizenship programme which empowers young people to make a difference in their community about causes which they care about deeply. Through a unique programme of teamwork, research and competition, an entire year group takes part and just one team is chosen to secure the grant.

Aline Lidwell, teacher at Stromness Academy, said: “Pupils select issues they care about and this year the finalists’ chosen social issues were ‘Men’s Mental Health, Sexual Violence and The Cost of Living Crisis’. Students looked for and selected charities they believe are addressing these issues -  the other finalist charities were the Orkney Food Bank and Orkney Men’s Shed. What impressed me about their presentations was the time and effort they made to create unique ways of communicating these challenging issues to their peers.”

YPI is the flagship initiative of The Wood Foundation. Its UK Director Ali MacLachlan said: “Congratulations to Stromness Academy’s winning team for securing funds for ORSAS. YPI is all about empowering and engaging young people to understand their role within their community and the ways in which they can make a difference while developing their own skills.”

More than 280 schools in Scotland have committed to delivering YPI this academic year. Since it was launched in Scotland by The Wood Foundation in 2008 it has empowered more than 270,000 young people to make a difference in their communities, granting in excess of £6m to local charities addressing a range of social issues.

YPI has been running at the Academy for several years and is now an established part of the school’s S3 Religious and Moral Education programme. Every pupil chooses an issue and charity to represent and fundraises to provide part of the £3,000 grant.

This year the Stromness Academy pupils enthusiastically organised events including a bake sale, inviting spectators to watch staff race 200m and a much enjoyed sponge the teacher event at the end of term.