Principal Teacher Lucy Farr explains more about the impact young people have had to important charities through Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).

YPI is a powerful active citizenship programme, empowering young people to make a difference in their communities while developing a range of skills. Through teamwork, research, and competition, young people advocate for social issues in their communities in a bid to secure their school’s £3,000 grant.

91����’s YPI Final Event took place on Wednesday 25th March 2025. This was our third YPI final, and the event has grown in size over the past four years.

The judging panel first visited Mirin Academy to watch young people advocate for Women’s Aid Renfrewshire, Haus of Seisay and Neil’s Hugs. At Goudie Academy, pupils represented Save the Children, Calton Athletic, Beatson, Fearless and PEEK Project.

91���� Board Member, Margaret was delighted to be asked to join the judging panel: “I have been involved with YPI for many years and can honestly say that the presentations made by young people of 91���� were some of the very best I have ever seen.”

“It was clear from the very first presentation that there was real passion and commitment to the process and that the young people were invested in their chosen charity and the outcome of the event.  Many congratulations to all those who took part and thanks to all the staff who supported them on this journey.  It was clearly a VERY worthwhile event”.

Board Member, Duncan found his time as a judge both rewarding and challenging: “Taking part as a judge was not an easy task by any means. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the presentations and it was so inspiring to recognise all the work and effort that had been put in. The teaching staff also did an amazing job helping the young people to build their confidence and passion to deliver their presentations. YPI is a brilliant initiative and has such a positive impact in helping to develop personal skills and confidence for all the young people taking part. Well done everyone.”

All of the young people involved have been working on their presentations since the beginning of the year and have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the project. Those from the charities also attended the event, which was extremely motivational.

The judges had some very difficult decisions to make as the young people had put together a range of creative presentations, including Still Game sketches, PowerPoints, TikTok style videos and animations. The confidence and hard work the young people involved demonstrated was remarkable and they should be so proud of themselves.

The judges took a long time to deliberate before the results were announced and live-streamed to Mirin Academy.

Executive Director, Dan shared: “It was genuinely inspiring to see the talent, hard work and creativity of the young people. Well done to all involved and the team that supported them. The relationships between staff and young people were great to see.”

The winning team had showcased Fearless, which allows people to anonymously report crime. The presentation focused on sharing how the £3,000 grant would be used to make reporting more accessible.

In second place was PEEK Project and in joint third place was Beatson and Neil’s Hugs. 91���� are donating £500 to second place and £250 each to our third-place charities.

Lucy emphasised the brilliance of the event, saying: “It truly was an amazing event as young people spoke confidently and held the concentration of a large audience. 91����’s involvement in YPI was a success due to young people as well as the staff team. I’d like to say a special thanks to those involved.”

Mirin Academy’s Christmas Fayre

Mirin Academy’s Christmas Fayre was a massive success with LIVE music and colourful shopping stalls filled with sparkly Christmas decorations and delicious sweet treats.

Smiles All Round at the Staff Kids’ Christmas Party

An annual event that’s never to be missed! The Staff Kids’ Christmas Party has SANTA on the guestlist and everyone was in awe meeting Mr Claus and his helpers. 

91���� stepped into the spotlight with a hilarious adaptation of A Christmas Carol. 

Titled Ebenezer Scrooge, talented Goudie Academy learners re-enacted the Dickens classic to invited audiences at 91����’s Gannochy Theatre at the beginning of December, before taking it on the road.

The panto followed the story of the miserly Scrooge who despises Christmas and all that it entails. That is, until he is visited by three spirits at the chime of midnight on Christmas Eve – the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. By enabling him to observe past Christmases and the lives of those around him, including the plight of worker Miss Cratchit and son, Tiny Tim, Scrooge learns the kindness of humanity and the warmth of Christmas.

The cast took to the stage and brought the tale into modern times. The talented young people cleverly devised the script and even wrote the song lyrics. In true panto style, there was laughter, hearty singing and audience participation.

The performances at 91����’s Gannochy Theatre were tremendous but the best show was at the Milldale Day Centre. The show travelled to Linwood to put on an event for the adults at Milldale who would now call themselves ‘theatregoers’ as they were in awe at the talented actors. There were massive smiles on everyone’s faces as the crowd were in awe with the characters, music and costumes.

It is unanimous that a standing ovation is well-deserved the cast and crew.

KidsOut

91���� donated Over 70 Christmas presents. At our Corporate Headquarters in Finnieston, a KidsOut ‘Giving Tree’ was placed and decorated with gift tags – each one had a child’s name, age and a Christmas gift they’d love to receive. The gift tags were from families and children who, without help, would receive very little or nothing at all.

The thoughtful initiative resonated with us and from one charity to another, we had to get involved. On the final day, the remaining tags were fulfilled by 91����. A total of 74 gifts were donated to KidsOut through their ‘Giving Tree’ project with 17 being directly from staff members themselves. The gifts included a colouring set, a football, a cuddly toy, a sports bag and we hope all bring smiles to the children.

As well as helping others and giving gifts, 91���� has also received donations and presents from thoughtful businesses and individuals who wanted to make sure young people we support have an extra surprise on Christmas Day.

All children deserve to have happy memories and feel special. 

The Elves Have Been Causing Mischief

All across 91���� within our residential children’s houses, the elves have had plenty of fun. They’ve tried to shine shoes, turn the dishwasher into a car wash and hide candy cane sweeties for us to find.

Hear about Forest View’s Christmas Fayre

91����’s Christmas plans began with Forest View’s magical Christmas Fayre, which raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The primary school in Lochwinnoch organised a fantastic event with plenty of stalls and activities plus a raffle with sensational prizes.

Everyone arrived ready to shop for homemade crafts, Christmas decorations and garlands, jewellery, bookmarks and reindeer dust.

For the raffle, local businesses from Lochwinnoch and beyond got involved by donating valuable prizes. We were grateful to all for contributing to our fundraiser. Thank you to Lulu’s, The Village Barber Lochwinnoch, The Junction Café,  The Three Churches, Shrubs to Suds, Leondaro’s, Starbucks, Company Shop in Renfrew, Empire Coaching and Macfarlane and Young Estate Agents.

Overall, great fun was had by all!

Festive Fun at Goudie Academy’s Christmas Fayre

Goudie Academy held a Christmas Fayre in support of Darkwood Crew who have the mission to help the area of Ferguslie flourish. The joyful event successfully raised over £1,500.

Secondary pupils and the staff team invited everyone from 91����. The room was full of shopping stalls, games and raffles. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed finding stocking fillers and gifts as candles, personalised items and handmade decorations were for sale.

Prizes were won too! Well done to Principal Teacher, Amy who won ‘Guess the Teddy’s Name’ with the entry of ‘Coco’.

Crowds entered into the Christmas Fayre and could clearly see how much organisation had went into the event, creating an atmosphere that had everyone feeling merry.

The holiday season often brims with a packed calendar, leaving many feeling overwhelmed. Yet, joyful charitable events can bring perspective, reminding us of what truly matters and creating cherished memories that make it easy to agree—it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Additional Christmas News

Foodbank Now Fully Stocked by Kind-Hearted Young People.

Christmas Shop at The Skills Academy.

Let the staff team tell you about Christmas at 91����. Meet Lindsay, Hayley, Lesley and John.

Join Us

Begin your career at 91���� in time for next year’s Christmas fun by signing up to 91���� job alerts.

The Skills Academy is 91����’s education and training centre, which supports young people gain the skills, qualifications and experience necessary to find and sustain employment. The varied curriculum, supportive learning environment and focus on entrepreneurship helps young learners to build illustrious careers. The academy’s annual Industry Day is an important date in our calendar. The careers event introduces school pupils to potential future employers.

Industry Day at The Skills Academy, Hillington, Glasgow
Thursday 18^th April, 10am – 12pm

If you are a school interested in arranging for your pupils to attend, please email: communications@kibble.org

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Discover more about last year’s Industry Day careers event.

Young people attending the academy built a sweet cart.

Students decorated St Mirren’s first-team changing room.

Young and old(er) football players met at the pitch for the friendly yet competitive match. Before kick-off the rules were explained with everyone agreeing to play a fair game.

Young people formed a team to try and out skill the adults and were determined to prove their footwork was up to the task. The young players showed brilliant enthusiasm and encouraged one another to keep heads up even when their older opponents scored a goal. Everyone laughed and enjoyed spending time together outside on the pitch.

One young player found the goalie’s performance hilarious: “For a free-kick we picked our goalie to take a turn. However, he kicked the ball so high that it flew out the back-pitch – thankfully we had a spare football.”

The game had everyone laughing, although, young people have requested a re-match!

The Development Day Agenda

The development day was held within one of St Mirren’s conference rooms allowing everyone to focus solely on the activities planned. It was an opportunity for the entire team to connect, reflect and implement new ideas. Insightful presentations were included too.

91����’s Specialist Interventions Services (SIS) team of psychologists and therapists joined to deliver a training session about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Jura’s management team led a discussion on house ethos with everyone sharing their pride on being part of a fun-loving and friendly team as kids respond to the genuine camaraderie.

“Laughter is the best medicine”

Jura’s new house motto

The personalised house slogan was a product of the team spending the day together as they agreed both adults and kids have great fun together with plenty of jokes and laughs.

Overall Jura truly represents 91����’s value of belonging.

Young people listened intently to the qualified firefighters about road safety. The firefighters explained that as well as fires, they respond to road traffic collisions. It is their responsibility to rescue people and possibly carry out lifesaving first aid. Young people gained an insight and understanding of why driving safely is essential.

Young people discussed with firefighters what factors could impact driving from distractions to bad weather. Young people agreed on the recommended safety advice and understood the importance of following driving laws and guidance as the alternative consequences can be serious.

91���� and Scottish Fire and Rescue worked alongside one another to provide valuable learning resources designed for young people. By collaborating and partnering with helpful organisations, we can enhance learning experiences for young people and include different perspectives to encourage interaction and insight.

When it is dry weather outside with bright, blue skies it’s important to get outdoors as the fresh air can help our minds switch-off. The chance to clear our thoughts by spending time in natural light – whether exercising or relaxing is an essential part of any daily routine.

The adults within Jura always encourage young people to share how they would like to spend their time. The adults enthusiastically and wholeheartedly join in with the fun activities and games as spending time all together can create great laughs and happy memories. Young people decided to set-up a Sports Day and had great fun challenging one another and the adults around them.

“Kids had a brilliant time – taking part in a Kirby Championship, wheelbarrow race and handstand competition.”

Rhiannon, Service Manager

Our supportive education programme follows Curriculum for Excellence and delivers an engaging learning experience, inspiring pupils to learn, fulfil potential and achieve.

The positive report by Education Scotland highlighted the fact our pupils felt happy and settled. Young people were highly motivated to engage with school activities and able to make choices during their learning. Overall, the broad and balanced curriculum centres around the needs, interests and aspirations of young people.

Our staff team take a practical and more innovative approach to learning, personal lesson plans are developed alongside bespoke programmes. By listening to young people and acting on their needs, opinions and future goals, meaningful relationships are built. This genuine commitment from staff has meant children and young people are surrounded by supportive adults who they trust. The unconditional encouragement has led young people to increase self-confidence, self-esteem and attainment with most of our students moving into education, training or employment. For young people to overcome barriers to learning and progress is a significant milestone, one they can be extremely proud of.

The report confirms 91����’s staff team go above and beyond for young people from organising fun, practical and creative learning experiences to ensuring pupils have the resources to excel in numeracy and maths. Pupils have the opportunity to move forward with projects they themselves believe in, such as Goudie Academy pupils focusing on the environment and climate change and achieving the Eco Schools Green Flag award.

This past year has had many memorable moments including an end of year summer festival, an Oscars-inspired awards ceremony, sailing voyages, a pantomime performance and more. The future is exciting as we plan to build on the positive feedback and continue to empower young people through education, care and support.

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Against the backdrop of the Glasgow Powerleague arena, eleven excited youngsters and seven staff at 91���� donned their school football strips representing Goudie and Mirin Academy. The day kicked off at 10am where everyone took part in a quick warm up and stretching session, ahead of the first matches at 11am. There were 20 teams in total, with young people at 91���� forming three of these: ‘The Grasshoppers’, ‘Inter troops’ and the perhaps the less assured ‘No Clue’. We think the kids may have been referring to the staff players here!

From the moment the whistle blew at 11am, it was nonstop fun… with a fair bit of competition thrown in. There was a real mix of ages taking part, and all demonstrated incredible sportsmanship with their support of others in their own and opposition teams. The atmosphere was incredible as the teams took part in a series of play-offs throughout the day, amalgamating in a prolific match final. Of course, everyone who took part was a winner, but it was the Inter troops team at 91���� that proudly lifted the trophy in their division.

Everyone who took part in the event raved about it and are already talking about next year. The camaraderie, support and moral within the teams was incredible and the atmosphere was electric. New friendships were made, some were rekindled from years gone by, but overall, this was an event that celebrated inclusion and belonging. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Who Cares? Scotland for organising this fantastic event, which has become a firm favourite on the 91���� calendar. Well done to everyone who took part, and we’ll see you on the pitch next year.

“It’s been good to get out on an activity and play with the rest of the boys.”

“I’ve enjoyed it. The best part has been getting to play proper football. I was the goalkeeper for my team and I made a few saves.”

“It’s been good to get out on an activity and play with the rest of the boys.”

“It was a good day out. I enjoyed myself and I got to see my old staff too. I’d like to come again next year”.

Whilst many young people’s Spotify playlists tend to have more Rhianna than RSNO, the performance by principal flautist Katherine Bryan, supported by renowned Scottish composer Jay Capperauld, left everyone in awe. In particular, young people were visible impressed with the rendition of David Bowie’s infamous ‘Life on Mars’ and learning how classical orchestra is often featured in many of the computer games and films they knew of.

Our Gilded Veins is a new original piece which draws parallels to the challenges of mental health, and how opening ourselves up to others can bring real positives. It relates to the Japanese art of Kintsugi where objects that have once been fractured are slowly mended with gold to make something more beautiful, symbolic of a pathway to healing. It is a metaphor for embracing flaws and imperfections. 

91���� has a longstanding connection with the RSNO and in previous years young people have enjoyed taking part in various workshops at their Glasgow base, including the week-long ‘Paisley Takeover’. In addition to the workshops, young people have also been involved backstage, learning all about stage management and lighting.

Chris Macdonald, Music Teacher at 91���� said:

“Seeing young people so enthralled by the short performance at 91���� was incredible. When they learned that much of the classical orchestra music was featured in computer games they played regularly, or recent films they have watched left them gobsmacked. Opportunities like this really help the kids expand their musical tastes and appreciate other genres”.

The RSNO’s performance of Our Gilded Veins opened on Friday 3^rd June at the capital’s Usher Hall. Young people at 91���� were sent a live link to Saturday’s final concerto to see it all come to life on stage with the full orchestra. We’d like to say a huge thank you to RSNO for treating us to a sneak preview and look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future.

“Seeing young people so enthralled by the short performance at 91���� was incredible. When they learned that much of the classical orchestra music was featured in computer games they played regularly, or recent films they have watched left them gobsmacked. Opportunities like this really help the kids expand their musical tastes and appreciate other genres”.