Over the past week, a newly founded board of lower sixth charity representatives at Wilson’s school have been campaigning to promote their decision to support Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity, for the entirety of the academic year with a plenitude of charity events.

 

Three committee members, including myself, took to the stage multiple times in the past few days to present to each year group what such a commitment entails. We began by emphasising the importance of Centrepoint’s work. Centrepoint works to support young people who find themselves, through unforeseen circumstances, without a home and seemingly no prospects. It is hard to contemplate the realist that up to 120,000 young adults do not have a safe place to call home. Not only do they provide support in the short term through accommodation, but a focus on sustainability leads the charity to provide health care support and, perhaps even more imperatively for struggling people of this age, mental health support. Furthermore, they aid in these youths’ education so that, when the time is right, they can continue to live their lives irrespective of and independently from the help of Centrepoint. The chair of the committee later commented, “I am very proud of our democratic decision to support this charity this year and I believe we have found a cause that every person at this school can enthusiastically get behind.”

 

Presenting to a host of young people, it was important that the presentations highlighted just why the charity committee made the decision to support the worthy cause. Firstly, the age range that the charity targets is 16-25 and so it was conveyed how each and every student could imagine the loneliness, isolation, and despondency that not having a home to go to at the end of the day would entail. Additionally, with Christmas drawing ever closer, a sense of abandonment is further invigorated as joyful Christmas lighting and communal festivities serve as constant reminders to youths who have had relationship breakdowns within their own families. Particularly at this time of year, with daylight, which may have once brought a sense of hope and optimism, diminishing as days become shorter and nights become colder, it is even more important that all that can be done is done to help these youth. The aim was clear: to be able to hand over a cheque at the end of the academic year to Centrepoint that properly reflects the effort and enthusiasm of the entire student body to support the cause.

 

In principle, so far everything seemed well-founded and credible but the practicalities of the commitment were yet to be accentuated. A pledge for a plethora of exciting events for people to get involved in and a revolution of the charity representative post in each form group was promised during these assembly presentations. For example, the pilot event of the committee will be a staff vs student all-day cycling race on the 7th of December. This assures to be an event that all can get involved in and enjoy with exercise bikes being moved from the gym to the main courtyard to cater towards maximum visibility of the competitors. Whoever covers the most distance will win the event and students of all years can pledge a certain donation to be the closest guess to how much distance will be covered, with the closest winning a significant prize. 

 

Being part of the nascent organisation myself, I can truly attest to the vast efforts being undertaken by each member to ensure that this event will be smooth running. More importantly, however, it is vital not to forget the premise behind such an event occurring and specific significance should be given to the cause that the event is working to support. It is a priority that, whilst being an enjoyable spectacle, it can encapsulate charitable passion and vigour and raise as much money as possible. A late teacher at the school, Kamaljit Gill, championed the importance of charitable service within the community and we hope to continue her legacy by supporting Centrepoint’s vital work. The extensive work the charity committee is doing truly embodies the school’s motto and spirit of ‘non sibi sed omnibus’ (or ‘not for oneself but for all’). I am greatly looking forward to the first event which vows to set a precedent in the school towards greater beneficent giving and its conception is drawing ever closer.