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Students learn about social issues in their communities and choose the issues which are important to them.
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First Give…has supported us to ensure that we are making a positive contribution to our community whilst developing our students as leaders with a social conscience.
Seeing students take responsibility for their own learning, and growing in confidence as they realise the impact they can have has been really exciting! I would definitely recommend the programme to other schools and teachers.
The most important thing I've learnt is that teamwork is key and also my confidence has been boosted. This has also raised my awareness of the charities around my community.
The most important thing I have learnt on this programme is how much small actions can affect people like how much social action can make a difference.
When I came across the First Give programme to develop active citizenship via lessons on action and advocacy I was astounded at the volume of quality resources, lesson plans, videos and interaction, support and guidance.
The First Give programme delivers impressive results for schools and their communities – this positive social impact provides us with a fantastic return on our investment.
How the programme works
We work in partnership with secondary schools to inspire and equip young people to take action to tackle social issues.
Here are the steps of how it works:
Research
Students research charities working in their communities and as a class, choose one to represent.
Meet
Charities are invited in to meet the class, so that students can learn more about their work and how to help them.
Plan & Deliver
Students plan and deliver social action activities (fundraising, awareness raising, volunteering) in support of their charities.
Present
Students learn public speaking skills and put together creative presentations about the work of their charity and what their class has done to support it.
School Final
One group is chosen to represent each class at your school’s First Give Final. A panel of judges rate each class based on their social action and presentations. The winning class wins a First Give grant of £1,000 for their charity.
The School Final experience
First Give Finals are a celebration of the full year group. They are an opportunity for students to stand up and speak out on the issues that matter to them and showcase their social action. Each school runs their Final slightly differently, but they are all inspirational events!
School Final judges
The judging panel at a First Give Final is usually made up of staff from the school plus members of the local community invited by us. Currently we are unable to facilitate the attendance of external judges at Finals, however if you would like to express an interest in judging in the future we’d love to hear from you!
Student case study
Celebrating youth social action at Ark Acton Academy
The Final at Ark Acton Academy has always been an exciting event in the school calendar. It is an annual opportunity for students to speak out about the causes that matter to them. Students took part in a social action fair to raise awareness and funds for their chosen charities. On top of this, the winning class, who were supporting local charity Acton Homeless Concern also organised a collection of warm clothes and other donations for their charity’s homeless shelter.
My favourite part of doing First Give was the Final. It was the moment when it all came together, and we got to share how we as a form class helped our charity.
