“I’ve been looking forward to PSHE every week just to do this”

At First Give, we are dedicated to empowering young people as they make a positive difference in their communities through charitable social action.

Through our core programme, a whole year group of students engages in a dynamic experience where they identify social issues that they care about, connect with local charities and develop and deliver social action projects for those charities. In the latter half of the programme, students prepare engaging and creative presentations that they’ll showcase at their school’s First Give Final – an exciting celebration at the end of their programme where the year group compete in their classes to secure a £1,000 First Give grant on behalf of their class charity.

This year, Heath Lane Academy launched the First Give programme with their Year 8 students, and it has been inspiring to watch them grow through the experience. We had the pleasure of catching up with the presenting students at their Presentation Skills Workshop, just one week before their Final. The workshop, led by Felicity Houlbrooke, focused on refining their public speaking skills in preparation for the big day.

“Our students have really thrived, having the power in their hands through the programme has given them a real opportunity to shine, and they care so much about their chosen charities”, said Sophie Faulks, who has coordinated the programme this year at Heath Lane Academy. This sentiment was echoed by the students, including Isla, who shared “I’ve been looking forward to PSHE every week just to do this, I’ve really enjoyed the freedom of First Give”.

The students identified social issues that matter to them, such as mental health and domestic violence, and clearly valued being empowered to determine the direction of their First Give project, allowing them to use their own ideas to drive social change in their communities. As Jack put it, “We’ve had the freedom to help other people, not just be told what we’re doing or learning about.”

As a result, students channelled their passion into a variety of different social action activities including creating their own awareness raising videos, delivering assemblies to other year groups, organising fundraisers, and more. One group, supporting FOCUS, a mental health charity, organised a lunchtime art and poetry club to support their peers with their mental health. Daniel, a Year 8 student, explained, “A lot of people struggle with their mental health, we see it everywhere. We wanted to do something to settle overstimulated minds, to help”.

Another student, Caiden, added “Mental health issues are more common than people realise. Speaking about mental health in class has meant that I’ve felt more able to share how I feel recently. It’s important to talk to others”. The students put a great deal of time and care into their lunchtime club, recognising the importance of a safe space for expression. The students discussed the possibility of continuing this work beyond the programme, suggesting that the existing lunchtime art club could be a good platform for ongoing mental health awareness work.

Through the programme, students engaged with a range of local charities including LAMP, Living Without Abuse, Focus, Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafes and Heads Up. The students clearly valued the opportunity to have a lasting impact on their local communities. As Georgie shared, “Being able to work with local charities has been great. We want to support our charity after the programme too… our families have been involved as well, we really care about this”.

The judges faced a difficult decision at the Final this year, as all of the students did such a brilliant job advocating for their charities. Ultimately, the class supporting Neighbourhood Mental Health Café was awarded the accolade of First Give winners this year, meaning their charity won the £1,000 First Give grant. This class organised a fun and games workshop with activities and refreshments, taking additional creative steps to promote their endeavours with a video that promoted the workshop, as well as raise awareness for the cause. Their video also explored their rationale for the club, emphasising the importance of what they referred to as a “chilled and homey vibe”, akin to the charity’s own space – a sentiment that resonated well with the judges and audience.

Reflecting on the programme, the students expressed how they had been able to showcase their unique skills and talents. James said: “As a class, we’ve really enjoyed it. Personally, I loved making the PowerPoint and interviewing our teachers about mental health – we got to see a different side to them, and I got to put my IT skills to good use in a meaningful way”.

We have loved working with the students at Heath Lane Academy, and it has been an absolute pleasure to see the students grow through the process. We are excited to see how their passion continues to evolve, and look forward to supporting more students at Heath Lane Academy in the future.