Crieff High School - Youth Philanthropy Initiative

Youth Project Initiative   : talk by Julie Petrie and pupils at Crieff High School

( Yanns :  7/3/2107 )

YPI was founded in 2002 in Canada by the Toscan Casale Foundation who were the original creators of MAC Cosmetics. When the company was sold to Estee Lauder, in early 2000, Julie Tosacn Casale, decided to use the money to create a foundation where values-driven decisions were made to engage and empower young people to stand up for some of the most vulnerable members in communities. YPI’s model began as a humble yet elegant idea of empowering young people to support local issues and determine where support monies could be spent in their own communities. Although based primarily in Canada, the ideas gained credence in Scotland and Northern Ireland where financial support from the Wood Foundation enabled 10 schools, in Perth and Kinross alone, to develop empathetic support programmes for the homeless ( where records show there were 800 in P&K last year ). As we live our comfortable lives in a beautiful part of Scotland, it is perhaps difficult to fully understand the debilitating effects of homelessness and it was thus, most inspirational, that the pupils of Crieff High School decided to act out, for us, a little vignette to show what true desolation and depression is caused by living on the streets. Truly evocative. Well done to Hamish, Fraser, Ken and Nathan and of course their teacher, Julie. Vote of thanks by Ian Wilcock