A team of six pupils from Bannockburn High School have secured a £3,000 donation for its local branch of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, after winning the school’s Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Project final with a powerful and moving presentation on the charity’s work.
The students, who each chose SSAFA individually as the charity they wished to champion and were then formed into a single group, researched, created, and choreographed a deeply thoughtful presentation that impressed the judging panel and won top prize at the recent school final.
The YPI empowers secondary school pupils to engage with social issues and advocate on behalf of charities they feel passionate about. Each school’s winning team secures a £3,000 grant for its chosen charity.
In this case the £3,000 will go to the Forth Valley Branch of SSAFA, helping the branch to continue its vital work supporting local members of the Armed Forces community, whether serving or retired, Reserves or Regulars, regardless of rank or regiment, ship or squadron.
Ian McAlister, Branch Chair of Forth Valley who attended, said:
“It was a real pleasure to see how much effort and understanding the students brought to the project and I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with them as they prepared their presentation for the final. The pride they took in presenting SSAFA’s story was heart-warming. It means so much to us that a younger generation not only took the time to learn about our work, but chose to advocate for it with such energy and empathy.”
One of the winning group, Kenzie McLeod, said during the presentation:
“SSAFA is a charity that has directly supported families within our school community. Because my uncle was in the Army, this project felt personal to me. I can say that SSAFA supported my relative after a serious battlefield injury left him reliant on a cane. We all learned so much and felt proud knowing we were helping to make a difference.”
Ian added:
“This is a great opportunity to build lasting relationships and raise awareness of SSAFA’s mission among young people. We’re excited to see what can grow from this success.”
SSAFA has been supporting veterans, serving personnel, and their families for 140 years. Those in the Stirling, Falkirk, and Clackmannan area who are interested in volunteering or fundraising for the charity, or who wish to get support from it, can search online for “SSAFA Forth Valley” or call 0141 488 8552.
