Young People want to be part of the Giving Nation

Howard Lake | 25 June 2002 | News

An NOP poll for the Giving Campaign has found that secondary school pupils are very keen to raise funds for charity at school.

The survey of 1,125 secondary school pupils aged 11-16 years found that 76% currently help to raise money for charity at school and 57% would like to do more for charity through their school.

The survey results were released as The Giving Campaign, launched Giving Nation, a new schools-based initiative encouraging secondary school pupils to take a more active role in charity and giving.

The survey reported that:

• 80% of pupils said they gave money to charity or a cause that they thought was okay the last time they were asked
• 78% feel good when they give
• 76% think most charities use donations wisely

Commenting at the launch of Giving Nation, Amanda Delew, Director of The Giving Campaign, said: “The results of the survey are very encouraging for charities who fundraise in schools and the sector in general. Clearly young people are interested in charity and are positive about getting involved. Giving Nation will build on this enthusiasm, providing young people with a framework to consider charity and their role as givers. It will provide a focus for charity in the classroom and could give a boost to fundraising appeals in schools.”

The aim of Giving Nation is to make raising money and giving time to help others more fulfilling for schools. Having consulted with the education sector and the leading school fundraising charities, the Giving Nation schools programme has been developed to support the teaching of the new Citizenship Curriculum. By promoting giving as a concept and by exploring the role that charities play, students can be taught issues at the core of citizenship.

The Giving Nation campaign includes:

• a free schools pack for 11-16 year olds
• problem-solving ./guidance and tools for schools running a Giving Nation event
• a Web site with interactive games and community for young people and a resource section for teachers
• G-Week: a national celebration of pupils’ giving starting in June 2003

A second NOP survey of 93 teachers addressed teachers’ views concerning the proposals for introducing Giving Nation into schools. The key findings are:

• 73% of teachers would welcome a national event celebrating giving and community action in schools
• 82% recognise fundraising as a popular activity within the school
• 74% believe a national event like Giving Nation would offer great value to students
• 65% think it would improve their school ethos
• 47% agree it would aid schools in meeting their curriculum targets

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.