Three groups of Year 8 students at the school have been taking part in the Green Teen Philanthropy project since November 2011, and have already raised £1,800 for the charity Cool Earth by pitching for cash from Classic Cottages in a Dragons’ Den scenario.
On Tuesday 10 January, the students involved in the project were visited by three members of the Classic Cottages team; Chairman Simon Tregoning, head of the Classic Green Team Tanya Pascoe and Joel Henthorne, IT Manager.
The students discussed their ideas for raising money for Cool Earth’s projects in Peru, Ecuador and Borneo, which included a green-themed non-school uniform day, a cake sale, book sale, hand car wash and Cool Earth coffee.
The mentors from Classic Cottages shared their knowledge and business acumen with the students, encouraging them to think about whether it would be better to compete or collaborate to raise the most money, helping them to focus their ideas and consider any potential pitfalls in their plans.
Simon Tregoning, Chairman of Classic Cottages said: “I was very impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and commitment to the fundraising project. They had clearly given it a lot of thought since the Dragons’ Den day last year, and had a fantastic ‘can-do’ attitude as well as a very good knowledge and understanding of the Cool Earth projects they are supporting. Hopefully the business mentoring has given them a steer in the right direction and they will now be able to start planning their events.”
The students will meet again next week to finalise their fundraising plans, and will then have a month to organise and carry out their events. Each group has been given £70 of seed funding from Classic Cottages, and now has the challenge of spending the money wisely to see a good return on investment.
Imogen Dyckhoff, English teacher and co-ordinator of the project at Falmouth School added: “As a school specialising in Business and Enterprise we place an emphasis on teaching skills students can use in the wider world, so the business mentoring session was an excellent opportunity for them to learn from people who really know what they are talking about. As we are also an Eco School, taking part in a project that supports the work of Cool Earth is a perfect fit for us, and the students are really enjoying learning more about the environment and working hard to raise money for the charity.”
The Green Teen Philanthropy project has been devised by the charity Cool Earth to help schools fundraise with the support of local businesses interested in protecting the environment.
It follows on from three years of Classic Cottages supporting Cool Earth, with a total of 35 acres of endangered rainforest in Ecuador and Peru being sponsored by the Helston-based company.
Jemma Woodman, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Cool Earth said: “This is the first time we’ve tried running a project like this, and so far we have been really pleased with how it has gone. It’s great to have a local business like Classic Cottages supporting and funding it, and now we hope to roll it out across the country, introducing more teenagers to the idea of philanthropy and protecting the rainforest.”
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