Sir Ian Wood hailed the “remarkable” impact of a scheme he set up to encourage social action by young people as it passed a milestone yesterday.
The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative has helped pupils secure £2million for good causes – a large part of it in the north and north-east.
Hundreds of schools participate every year across Scotland, with classes encouraged to identify issues and pitch for £3,000 to tackle them.
Recent successes include a grant for Banchory Academy students to raise LGBT awareness – including teacher training.
Millburn Academy’s support for the Salvation Army in Inverness was so successful that they were invited to speak at its national conference.
Oil tycoon Sir Ian said he was particularly pleased to see so much evidence that those who took part continued to be involved afterwards.
“Beyond the grants YPI has awarded to local charities, the programme most significantly impacts upon young people, not only providing a valuable experience of philanthropy but also nurturing critical employability and enterprise skill development,” he said.
“This is a remarkable milestone, made possible through the dedication of our participating schools and charities, the support of our programme funding partners, and the enthusiasm of all participating students.”
By the end of this year the scheme expects to have donated £282,000 to causes in Aberdeenshire, £232,000 in Highland, £204,000 in Aberdeen City, £69,000 in Moray, £36,000 in Shetland, £24,000 in Moray and £18,000 in Orkney.
