Sixth form pupils at special education needs school, Ysgol Y Deri, have raised £26,393 in collaboration with Careers Wales to acquire essential resources for careers learning.
The initiative was spearheaded by the school’s Post 16 Transition Lead, Stacey Long, and Careers Wales’ Business Engagement Adviser, Geraldine Doyle, who recognised that students would benefit from site visits to employers but were restricted by transportation barriers.
The ‘Bus to Our Future’ campaign was led by the pupils themselves to fundraise for a new minibus. Local employers supported the campaign by helping the students with the skills they needed to achieve this.
Pupils were equipped for campaign through insightful sessions led by industry professionals, including a presentation by a representative from the Safe Foundation charity, who talked to pupils about fundraising strategies. Marketing expert, Bethan Wicks, offered guidance on how to gain exposure using social media, and how to create an impactful presentation. Bethan also supported the pupils with creating a campaign name.
After an initial email campaign to local and national businesses asking for support, a key activity for students was delivering presentations to companies, asking for funds and receiving constructive feedback.
Pupils practiced their pitch with Viridor, one of the UK’s leading resource and waste management companies, and were advised on how to apply for funding. Following the practice session, students successfully applied for a £3,000 grant.
After contacting Admiral by email, the pupils next presented to the insurance company who responded by generously donating £10,000.
Geraldine Doyle said: “I was delighted with the enthusiasm of pupils. I could see it was making a real difference to their confidence. They really threw themselves into this campaign and learned some important work skills along the way.
”The minibus will allow the pupils to access valuable careers and work-related experiences to expand their horizons and prepare them to make future careers decisions.”
Stacey Long said: “We set a fundraising target of £20,000, we were astonished by how quickly this was reached and surpassed with a total of £26,393.97.
“The success of this project was down to the hard work of the pupils, Careers Wales, and a fantastic promotional video that they produced in conjunction with Slam Media.
“Our new ‘Bus to Our Future’ van is now on the road and branded with logos of the companies that sponsored it. It is an invaluable resource to get pupils out on work placements and work-related visits.”
