November 5, 2010 – Toronto
During a luncheon and panel discussion hosted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and CoChaired by Madame Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative was awarded a Best Practice Award in Civic Education.
Innovated and launched in Toronto in 2002 and now in 185 high schools across Canada, 112 in the United Kingdom and 7 in New York City, the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative has positively impacted the lives of 120,000 grade nine and ten students…and counting.
YPI is a unique and powerful curriculum combining in-class learning and out-of-the-classroom charity visits. YPI teaches students research, teamwork, communication and presentation skills and, because charity visits are a key element of the program, students get to know their communities and become engaged with people they might never otherwise have come to understand.
“The explorative and competitive elements of YPI are key pillars of the program, but the feedback we’ve had tells us loud and clear that what is unforgettable for the kids taking YPI are the charity visits through which they discover their own enormous depth and a level of compassion they might never had known,” Julie says.
“By doing what we do,” says Julie Toskan Casale, Founder and President of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, “we are veritable partners with the ICC. We too see ourselves as living out what we believe is Canada’s unique ability to facilitate active and engaged citizenship. We, like the ICC, believe that youth need to be shown they can make change through action that is comfortable for them, appropriate, accessible and a bit challenging. In winning this award and being lauded as a Best Practice, we feel we’re ‘in this together’ and we could not be more proud to have been recognized by such auspicious, accomplished and creative ambassadors for Canada.”
