by First Give
Mulberry Girls’ Students Go Global!
Empowered young people take to the stage for their charity, St Mungo’s.
At First Give, we are passionate about empowering young people to make a real difference in their communities through charitable social action. Since 2022, students at Mulberry School for Girls have embraced our programme, using their knowledge and skills to enact meaningful change in their community. In 2024, a new group of students took First Give to even greater heights—going global and reaching the West End stage!
A Social Issue Close to Home
As part of the programme, Year 9 students explored social issues that exist in their communities, connected with local charities, and developed impactful social action projects. In the latter half of the programme, students curate presentations that summarise their First Give journey, nominating a representative group to present on behalf of their class at their school’ First Give Final – an inspiring event where classes compete for a £1,000 grant on behalf of their charity.
For one class, it was the social issue of homelessness that resonated most, and their research into how homelessness impacts their local community revealed that Tower Hamlets has one of the highest homelessness rates in London, with 1 in 25 people affected, 10% of whom are aged 16-24.
One of the students recalled: “We were shocked about the scale of the problem… It was like a tip of an iceberg—you can see some parts of homelessness but not the other hidden, unseen parts.” The students reflected on the impact of homelessness locally, adding: “We did not know that is happening next to us. It can happen to you, to someone close to you”.
Taking Action
The students worked with the charity St Mungo’s, and met a representative to find out more. One student reminisced: “It was inspiring, and it made us more motivated [to help]. Knowing we were supporting St Mungo’s… That made it real!”
The students were determined to find a creative and impactful ways to raise as much awareness as possible for St Mungo’s, and the developed some ambitious plans! Using all their skills in teamwork and creativity, they got to work. “We persuaded our headteacher to allow us to set up a full-size tent in the middle of school,” Abida recalled. “We also spoke about the causes of homelessness and where people could go for support.”
The students’ tent exhibition, simulating the challenges faced by homeless people, was very popular, and they felt they had helped to create empathy and understanding. “Many students shared that they had never really thought about homelessness before… and thanked us for opening their eyes to the support that is out there to those in need,” Mayeda reflected.
To widen their reach, the students created hundreds of posters and an equally high number of leaflets that they distributed around school.
The Global Girl Leading Summit
Their efforts didn’t stop there. On October 11th, 2024, two of the students presented their homelessness project at the Global Girl Leading summit at London’s QEII Conference Centre, celebrating International Day of the Girl. With over 500 young leaders present and 800 online viewers, the event featured distinguished speakers like Tina Tchen and Mexican Ambassador Josefa González-Blanco Ortiz-Mena.
Sharing our work for St Mungo’s on such a big platform showed how important it is for young people to get involved in social issues and inspire others to make a difference in their own communities.
Amira, student at Mulberry School for Girls
Reflecting on the experience, Amira shared, “Speaking to an audience from Mexico, England, Wales, and Kenya was incredible. Sharing our work for St Mungo’s on such a big platform showed how important it is for young people to get involved in social issues and inspire others to make a difference in their own communities.”
A Winter Campaign
With the increasingly difficult conditions of winter worsening the situation for those experiencing homelessness, the girls planned a Winter Campaign, putting up posters with information about the StreetLink app to raise awareness.
“St Mungo’s uses the app to locate and support homeless individuals,” the students explained. “We wanted to offer the same opportunity to our school community to report homelessness and raise awareness by giving a helping hand.”
The West End: Celebrating Youth Advocacy
The Mulberry Girls’ dedication to their First Give work led to further opportunities to advocate for St Mungo’s, this time on the West End stage! On 1st December 2024, Amira, Abida, Tayyiba, Mayeda and Yusra were selected to share their experiences at a special event at His Majesty’s Theatre in London, celebrating 25 years of The Jack Petchey Foundation. The foundation has been generously supporting the First Give programme at Mulberry School for Girls, and this was another fantastic opportunity for the students to showcase commitment to their cause.
The girls’ powerful voices and thoughtful social action work earned them the runners-up spot, securing an additional £2,500 grant for St Mungo’s – the students were elated. “Being chosen for the event and having the chance to raise funds for our charity [again] was amazing. It was such a huge place, with a bigger audience, not just our school… [And] now we could convince strangers to support the charity!”
A Legacy of Youth Leadership
At First Give, we believe in the power of young people to enact positive social change, and our programme gives them the opportunity, knowledge and skills required to achieve this. This year, Mulberry Girls’ students turned their determination into impactful action that saw them consider how they, and others, can give their time, money and skills to causes that they care about. Not only did this make their achievements even more special, it demonstrated the breadth of possibility when it comes to catalysing change, and it was truly inspiring.
We are immensely grateful to the staff and students at Mulberry High School for Girls, who have worked tirelessly to make a difference again this year – thank you.