Jack Brereton, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South, judged presentations given by students at the First Give final, resulting in £1,000 being won for local charity, Manna House.
Across a two-month period, pupils at St Peter’s Academy in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent took part in the First Give programme to ignite social consciousness in pupils and to encourage them to make a difference to their local community through social action.
Students aged between 11 and 12 years-old took part in a series of lessons, workshops and assemblies designed to inspire charitable action. Each class identified the social issues present in the school’s local area and the important work local charities are doing to minimise the issues. The students planned and executed social action activities to raise awareness and fundraise. The pupils at St Peter’s Academy chose to support charities such as, Manna House, Walk Ministries, Sari and the Alice Charity.
The programme is designed to help students develop their public speaking skills and ability to work together as a team. During the final presentation, each group spoke about the work they have been doing to help their chosen charity, presenting to their peers and a panel of judges.
Stoke-on-Trent South MP, Jack Brereton, went along to judge the final presentations.
Speaking after his visit, Jack Brereton MP said:
“It was fantastic to see and hear from young people at St Peter’s getting involved in and recognising the importance of giving back to our local community. I was very impressed to see the amazing work the school and First Give have been doing to promote the social responsibility of students at the school. I know the young people involved will have benefitted significantly from this, helping them build their skills and giving them the confidence to achieve their full potential.”
Miss Peggy, Lead teacher on the First Give programme at St Peter’s, said:
“Throughout the First Give programme year 7 students at St Peter’s Academy have taken responsibility for their learning and developed their social awareness. The programme has allowed students communication and presentation skills to flourish alongside their learning of social issues in the local community. Through this opportunity, students have developed confidence achieved things they hadn’t dreamed possible before.
“One of our Christian Core Values at St Peter’s is Empathy and this has been exemplified by all through their passion to learn about multiple local charities. This has truly been an inspiring experience for all involved.”
