GENERAL INFORMATION


Who operates YPI and what support can our school expect?

YPI is the signature program of the Toskan Casale Foundation. It is run in Canada and the United States by YPI Canada and managed in England by the Institute for Philanthropy. It is managed in Scotland by the Wood Family Trust Foundation. Secondary school teachers are supported by program coordinators who work directly with them and their students to ensure they understand the fundamentals of the intiative. Teachers are given a resource guide, skills posters and additional learning materials to launch YPI in their school.
 

What is the cost of participating in the program?

Secondary schools participate in YPI free of charge.
 

Where does the grant money come from and who does it go to?

YPI grants are provided by the Toskan Casale Foundation in association with YPI's generous financial supporters. When a student group is chosen to receive a YPI grant, the funds are awarded directly to the students’ chosen charity by the foundation. In order to qualify for a grant, charitable organizations must be local and community-based, working within the social service sector and registered with the government authority that oversees the charitable sector in their region. The organization must provide direct service to the local community.

GETTING INVOLVED

How can I learn more about getting my school involved?

You can reach us by phone in Canada at 416.489.1044 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you are an educator interested in enrolling your school in YPI, please submit an electronic application form here. Please note: YPI is a very popular initiative and an electronic application does not guarantee enrollment. When an application is submitted, new schools are considered on a first come first served basis. A YPI program coordinator will follow-up with you to confirm your enrollment.


What if I know someone who wants to financially support YPI?

Our approach is to build long-term relationships with like-minded funding supporters. We can best meet a funder's philanthropic objectives and deliver meaningful recognition and benefits through building relationships. Should you know a person or organization that is interested in financially supporting YPI, please contact Aaron Cantor, International Operations Manager at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 416-489-1044. In England, please contact Alex Reynolds, UK YPI Director at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or +44 (0)20 7240 0262.



GETTING STARTED

Does every student need a student guide?

Not every student will need a student guide. The YPI curriculum resource provides teachers with the option of having students follow along with the guide, or the lessons can be built in teacher-led format without the guide.


What technical (A/V) provisions are needed for the introductory workshop/assembly?

Most YPI schools will have access to the Welcome to YPI: Student video that lays out a clear path for your students to begin to learn about philanthropy and community-based charities.

If available to your school, a YPI program coordinator will come equipped with a laptop computer and use audio/visual aids like slide shows and DVDs to deliver the initial workshop.If an LCD projector is not available, a television and DVD player can be used in its place.


How many students are there on each team? How are the teams arranged?

Many teachers tell us that a team of 3-5 students is the right number. In terms of arrangement, this is generally left to the teacher to decide if students can choose who they work with or if the teacher chooses who will be on each team.



Can YPI be delivered in a course that is not compulsory?

In order to implement YPI, participating schools must agree to deliver the initiative in a mandated course. This means that all students across the (grade level/year group) in which YPI is being delivered have the opportunity to participate.


Does this mean that every class of that compulsory course has to participate in YPI or can teachers opt out?

Every class of the mandated course in which YPI is delivered must participate in the initiative to ensure equity and access in implementation and delivery.


How long does it usually take for a school to complete the YPI process?

On average, teachers complete YPI in 4-6 weeks. However, each teacher may use his or her discretion in deciding how many instructional weeks they will dedicate to YPI.


CHOOSING A CHARITY

What issues/types of charities usually win the YPI grant in the end?

YPI grants provide support to local, community-based, social service agencies who deliver direct services to those in need. The issues addressed by charities can cover many areas ranging from homelessness and domestic abuse to employment resources and hunger. The YPI curriculum resource provides worksheets that outline the types of social problems dealt with by the social service sector.


What if students find a charity that is not registered with a government authority?

In order to be eligible to receive a YPI grant, charities must be registered with the appropriate government authority in their region. Please visit our Teacher Resources section for links to the websites of government authorities in each YPI region. When deciding which charity they would like to select, students should bear in mind that the YPI grant cannot be issued to a non-registered charity.


What if students choose a charity that is run by a religious group?

Students can choose charities affiliated with a particular religious organization. The only stipulation is that these charities meet the general YPI criteria and provide their services to clients in need outside of their particular faith group.


What types of charities are not appropriate for YPI?

YPI charities should do work focused in the social service sector. These are charities that provide a direct human service to their clients. As such, charities focused on animal welfare, environmental issues, and academic or healthcare/medical research are not appropriate for the YPI mandate.


What if a charity has difficulty accommodating student visits?

There are a number of reasons why a charity could have difficulty accommodating student visits. Small organizations with a limited staff may not always be in the position to meet with students. We respect the right of any charity to choose not to participate in YPI. Students should be prepared to not only locate and research a charity but to also have a back-up plan should a charity not be able to meet with them.


What can students do to be prepared with a back-up plan if a charity cannot meet with them?

First and foremost, think outside of the box when locating charities. Don't rely only on the Internet or the most commonly known charities in the community. Places of worship, community centres, police stations, local libraries, university campuses or even your school's guidance office could have information on community-based charities. Second, don't restrict your search to the immediate vicinity of your school. Charities can be located across a city, municipality or region as long as your search takes place within the geographic boundaries specified for YPI. The criteria for the search is local and community-based.



What about charities that work with animals? Can YPI students choose those charities for a grant?

We appreciate charities that exist for the welfare and protection of animals. Although we love animals, the focus of YPI is on the direct social benefit to people in need within a community. 


What if the charity is difficult to get a hold of or does not respond to student inquiries?

If charities are slow in responding to students or do not respond at all, the YPI students involved should let their teacher know that they are having difficulty making contact. With the support of their teachers, students can decide if it is best to pursue another charity. One of the goals of YPI is to connect students with a community-based charity and that includes a site visit. Students are discouraged from choosing charities that will not allow site visits.


Can students use external resources in their presentations, such as charity-created informational materials? If so, how much can they use?

Students are encouraged to be creative in their presentations and to showcase their own talents to effectively advocate on behalf of their chosen charity. YPI discourages students from only using informational materials provided by charities, we do encourage students to create their own materials.


Can more than one team choose the same charity?

Within the same class, YPI students cannot select the same charity as their peers. However, because at least two classes in a given school are often participating in YPI, it may happen that students from different YPI classes have selected the same charity. Should this occur, both groups are permitted to proceed with their research and presentations as they will likely use their own unique approaches to advocate on behalf of the charity.


STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

Does a YPI representative visit schools to help with presentation skills?

A great presentation skills resource for teachers and students is our YPI Speak Out video, which outlines 10 tips for effective presentations and can be found in the Learning Zone and Teacher Resources section of our site. A comprehensive package of YPI Final Presentations event support materials, to build your own in-school assembly, can be found in the Teacher Resources section.

If available to your school, when a YPI coordinator delivers the introductory workshop (assembly) they also provide useful tips on presentation techniques and best practices. If teachers would like to go over presentation skills in a separate session, coordinators can make themselves available for this.


Are there different stages of presentation?

Yes, there are two stages of presentation. The first stage occurs at the classroom level, where students deliver their presentations in their respective classes and, together, select the group that did the most effective job as the YPI group for their class. This process takes place in all YPI classes at a given school. The groups selected by their peers then move on to the second (and last) presentation stage, where they present their materials to a judging panel. After deliberating in a separate area, judges select the group with the most effective presentation and award their chosen charity a YPI grant.

A comprehensive package of YPI Final Presentations event support materials, to build your own in-school assembly, can be found in the Teacher Resources section.


How many judges are on the final presentation judging panel, and who should they be?

The YPI judging panel typically ranges from 4 to 6 people, the majority of whom should be students. Non-student judges can include school staff such as teachers, principals/vice principals, and community members such as parent council officials. YPI representatives may also attend final presentations; however, there is no YPI representative on the judging panel in order to maintain impartiality throughout the process.


Does anyone come to the school to help with the final presentation day?
 
Teachers can always seek support from YPI staff to help plan their school's YPI Final Presentations event. If available, a YPI representative will attend the final presentations and provide support to teachers before, during and after the event as needed. YPI representatives can also act as facilitators in the deliberation process by reiterating the YPI granting criteria to judges before they make their decision.


Is an audience usually invited to watch the final presentations? If so, who should be invited?

Many schools arrange for students from all YPI classes to observe the final presentations. Some schools even make it a school-wide event open to students from all (grades/year groups). Final presentation audiences vary in size depending on the availability of space. There are no concrete rules surrounding the size of the audience; however, teachers are encouraged to have as many students as possible attend so that presenting groups can share their work with their peers across classes. Other attendees may include charity representatives, community members and local media. However, charity representatives should not be identified to the audience and judges until after the grant recipient has been chosen.


Is a recognition certificate available to give to all participating YPI students?

YES! The work of every YPI student is valued and appreciated. Please use our web-based Student Achievement Certificate to recognize the efforts of your students. Once the requested information has been filled out and submitted, a customized certificate will be generated in PDF format. It can then be printed and/or saved for your records.


Does the selected charity receive their YPI grant at the final presentation?

After the grant recipient is chosen by judges, YPI program coordinators provide the (Toskan Casale Foundation, Institute for Philanthropy or Wood Family Trust Foundation) with relevant charity and school information. Cheques are distributed at a later date after all necessary data has been received by the foundation.


How can I get students to use the local press or invite special guests, like politicians or city councillors, to the final presentation?

YPI final presentations are a great way to share with your community an impactful initiative that is making a difference to the students in your school. If your school is interested in inviting local press or politicians we encourage you to direct them to the YPI website for the most up-to-date information on the YPI experience.