Brookswood students give back to their community through YPI

March 1, 2019

“You should always have empathy in order to make a change.” That was one of the messages from a student at Brookswood Secondary School today.

As part of the Young Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), seven groups of grade 10 students gave presentations highlighting a local charity to try to win a $5,000 grant for their chosen organization.

After two months of hard work, researching and collaborating with different service organizations, groups gave engaging multimedia presentations to a panel of judges.

Mental health awareness and putting an end to sexual exploitation of teens were some of the causes being tackled by students. District Superintendent Gord Stewart, who was one of the judges, was very impressed by their passion and learning.

“I didn’t know some of these agencies were out there. I was able to pull away some good information in terms of services to help people in our own backyard.”

He says an event like this focusing on social responsibility falls in line with the District’s values of Integrity, Excellence, Courage, and Community.

“We’re hoping that beyond making sure students are numerate and literate, they’re going to be good citizens when they graduate. Part of that is always giving the opportunities and encouraging them to give back to the community.”

The winning team comprised of Alexa, Erin, and Angelo will now get to hand over funds to the Amanda Todd Legacy Society.