“You can’t change the whole world alone, but together we can make a difference”

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 develop 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 marked Sheffield Springs Academy’s debut on the First Give programme, and Year 10 students rose to the challenge with genuine commitment, creativity, and care. Delivered through PSHE lessons and culminating in a dedicated Character Day, which was a vibrant showcase for social action and awareness raising across the school, Sheffield Springs Academy delivered a fantastic First Give programme this year. The Character Day, full of fundraising activities ranging from bake sales and bracelet-making to sports challenges, carnival-style games and a photo booth, was fun-filled and engaging, serving not only to raise money – of which they raised over £320 – and awareness but also develop key skills such as communication, leadership and teamwork along the way, and remind students of the importance to keep the momentum they have built for sustained community action going.

We were lucky enough to conduct some quick interviews with students in between different year groups coming out to engage with the students’ stalls and activities, and it was great to hear their reflections on the programme. One student, Paracleta, said: “I’ve learned how to bring ideas to reality” while indicating her class’s stall, with baked goods and games for students to participate in. Meanwhile, Cayden, shared: “It makes you feel better about yourself when you help others… You can’t change the whole world alone, but together we can make a difference.”

Much of what makes the First Give programme special is how impactful the programme can be for students, regardless of whether or not their class wins the grant at the end, and many students shared how transformative they had found the programme. One student, Yahya, shared: “It gets you talking to people… I haven’t always been good at that, and I’m pretty quiet, but I’ve done it through First Give.” It further served to strengthen student bonds, as indicated by Abi: “It’s been a fun programme with the entire class working together and coming together as a community… I knew everyone before, but I feel like we’re more together now than we were before it.”

Year 10 is comprised of eight classes, who each identified charities to support that reflected a broad range of social issues. Students learned more about charities such as: Always An Alternative, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Roundabout, St Luke’s Hospice, and the Archer Project. The winning team, 10 McKee, impressed their peers and a panel of judges with their powerful presentation for Always An Alternative, a charity tackling knife crime. Indeed, knife crime emerged as a particularly urgent concern across the students, who demonstrated a deep understanding of its impact in their community, and a desire to tackle the root causes of violence. 10 McKee stood out due to their strong personal connection to the issue, articulate delivery and nuanced understanding, which included some thought-provoking statistics and reflections on gender assumptions around youth violence. Their responses to challenging questions were thoughtful and well-informed, underlining their genuine commitment and passion to the cause and to making a difference, thereby securing them the £1,000 First Give grant on behalf of their charity.

Sheffield Springs Academy held a high-energy First Give Final in April 2025, and the students spoke with passion and poise, incorporating storytelling, creative visuals, and interactive elements to engage the audience and judges. The school Principal, Ms Cartledge, added:

Judging the final presentations was a highlight of the academic year for me as school Principal, it was heartwarming to see the confidence of our pupils increase through their engagement with the programme. Conversations with parents and carers afterwards also showed the huge difference that this work is doing to improve the skills of teamwork, communication, and creativity within our pupils. 

We are incredibly proud to partner with Sheffield Springs Academy, and cannot wait to see what 2025/26 has in store for them!