In September 2007 the Institute for Philanthropy, in partnership with the Toskan Casale Foundation, will launch the UK pilot of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) in ten London secondary schools.

The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) is an international programme designed to develop community leaders of the future and to raise awareness of the work of grassroots charities. Pupils are given a hands-on experience of philanthropy that highlights the positive impact they can have on their communities and provides them with the tools to lead.

Pupils in year 9 or 10 work in small groups to research the needs of their local community and identify the grassroots charity they believe is best placed to drive positive change. They then learn how to analyse the charity’s management, budget, strategy and staffing arrangements. Pupils visit and build relations with representatives from their chosen charity and, following skills training in advocacy and public speaking, present on the reasons their proposed charity is most deserving of support. The group judged to have made the best presentation in each school is granted £3,000 to award to their charity.

During the course pupils develop the following skills:

• The ability to build effective relationships
• The ability to analyse organisations they wish to support
• The ability to communicate their passion and vision effectively

YPI was launched in Toronto in 2002 by Canadian entrepreneur and life-long community builder Julie Toskan Casale, co-founder of MAC Cosmetics Ltd. and the Toskan Casale Foundation. Julie developed YPI after she became the first Canadian to graduate from The Philanthropy Workshop. YPI is now in one hundred and twenty schools all over Canada, a number that is increasing all the time.

For further information about YPI in the UK and to find out how your school can get involved, please go to How can your school participate?