First Give

Year 9 embraced a new initiative with First Give, whose innovative programme is designed to spark a social conscience.

The not-for-profit aims to empower pupils to take social action by learning about issues in the local community, before researching and representing a chosen charity. Working in teams, they chose to champion issues ranging from mental health and food poverty to refugee education. The groups organised food drives, mobilised donations and raised awareness through a variety of creative social actions to support their charities of choice.

At the finals last week, each team delivered confident presentations, speaking out about the issues that matter to them and showcasing all they achieved, with the aim of securing £1,000 for their advocated charity. The panel of judges – including parents and alumnae – were impressed not only by the empathy shown, but the incredible impact made over the course of 8 weeks. Congratulations to every participant for embracing the challenge with such enthusiasm, with a special mention to our overall winners, 9S, who secured £1,000 for The Brent Adolescent Centre.