“First Give helped me share what was important to me”

Sheffield Springs Academy signed up for their inaugural First Give programme in 2024, running it with their Year 10 students. They have now completed two First Give programmes, and the cumulative impact of young people taking action in their communities has been astounding. This is the story of one class, and their support of a charity that provides care and support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families, inspired by the tremendous courage and passion of their classmate, Ruby.

Ruby and her family continue to be supported by Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, following the loss of her younger brother. The hospice’s support has taught Ruby the tremendous power and impact of charity, and so the programme took on a deeper meaning for her: It became a potential opportunity to show real gratitude for a charity that has supported her and her family through one of the most difficult times in their lives.

In the first two lessons, Ruby shared her experiences with her class, explaining to her peers why the hospice is so important to her. Ruby’s deep and personal connection to the charity motivated her and her class into action, and they agreed to support the hospice as a team.

“I talked about how important Bluebell Wood is to me and my family,” she explains. “The charity gives children who are sick, and their families, a chance to be somewhere that isn’t the ICU – somewhere where you can create happy memories, and not be sad all the time.”

The First Give programme can facilitate deep conversations in the classroom, enabling young people to speak openly about the things that really matter to them. Sometimes, this is rooted in lived experience, or an understanding for what those around them have been through. It is often this opportunity that facilitates greater engagement and understanding, enhancing empathy skills and deepening class bonds. Ruby’s class was no exception.

Hospices like Bluebell Wood create spaces where families can spend meaningful time together while children continue to receive the care they need.

“You can’t do that in an ICU,” Ruby says. “But you can in a hospice. They have playgrounds and accessible equipment, like adapted swings, so children can still have fun and feel like normal kids.”

Bluebell Wood also supports families through bereavement, something Ruby and her family experienced first-hand.

“When my brother passed away, the charity continued to support us,” she says. “We attend sibling bereavement groups and remembrance events. They keep those events celebratory of life. It’s about community, support and remembering.”

Those memories and experiences inspired Ruby to raise awareness of the charity through the First Give programme. “I was so glad to be able to give back to a charity that has given so much to me and my family,” she says.

Ruby and her classmates designed fun and engaging social action activities to raise awareness and funds for the charity. Their activities included interactive games designed to attract attention and spark conversations. The parallels between the students’ social action, and the aims of the charity to create happy memories, was also a careful consideration of the team, and further enhanced their engagement.

Phoebe, who presented alongside Ruby at the Final, remembers one particularly popular activity.

“We did a ‘balance a penny on a lemon’ game,” she explains. “We knew people couldn’t balance the penny, but it started lots of conversations about the charity.”

Those conversations turned into meaningful opportunities to explain the importance of Bluebell Wood’s work.

“It was really heartwarming,” Phoebe says. “Lots of people wanted to find out about the charity, both inside and outside school. Because of Ruby’s close connection with it, we were so happy to share how important Bluebell Wood is for the families it supports. It made us all work even harder. It was wonderful to see people understand the charity and want to know more. They were proud of us for raising awareness.”

The Sheffield Springs Academy First Give Final took place in February, and the audience and judging panel were in awe of the courage and passion shown by Ruby. She spoke candidly about her experiences to a wide audience of almost 300 people, demonstrating tremendous knowledge about the charity’s impact, and their importance to her and her family, too.

Bluebell Wood were incredibly impressed by the work of the students at Sheffield Springs

Through the project, Ruby also discovered new skills and strengths, and learning how to delegate and collaborate was an important part of that process for her:

“Teamwork was the big one for me,” she says. “I’d say I’m a bit of a natural leader but, through the First Give programme, I learned to step back and let others shine. Because of my personal connection with the charity, it was something I really wanted to advocate for, but I also learned to let others do their thing.”

The programme allowed Ruby to share her story in a way that helped others understand the impact charities can have on families. The experience has also inspired Ruby to reflect on how she might continue supporting charities in the future:

“First Give helped me share what was important to me, and I could share that with other people in a different way. My friend and I have already spoken about what we might do next.”

For Ruby, the programme wasn’t just about learning new skills, it was about turning gratitude into something tangible. Through First Give, she was able to honour her brother’s memory, raise awareness for a charity that helped her family, and inspire others to understand the importance of the work organisations like Bluebell Wood do every day.

By Amy Calvert, Programme Manager for Yorkshire and the North West