03 Jun 2026
Students from St Albans Girls’ School tackled a host of challenging subjects ranging from knife crime and domestic abuse to human trafficking and the challenges faced by young carers as part of a new initiative aimed at helping local charities.
Eight groups of Year 9 pupils delivered powerful presentations which impressed a judging panel that included St Albans MP Daisy Cooper and Mayor Cllr Teresa Heritage.
The event was the culmination of the First Give programme, which sees students researching local social issues and designing innovative ways to support charities in their area. Students then present their work to judges and peers at a First Give Final.
The groups’ activities included designing and running creative awareness campaigns, interactive fundraising challenges, charity visits, and engagement sessions for fellow students and beyond – ranging from crafting symbolic installations and delivering exercise sessions for older adults, to producing campaign materials and running immersive activities that brought serious social issues vividly to life.
MP Daisy commended the students for their courage in addressing tough topics: “The presenting students didn’t shy away from some really, really difficult issues, around knife crime and sexual assault. I think it was incredibly powerful of them to choose such topics and to invest their energy in them.”
She highlighted one particularly striking moment: “Three different groups asked people in the audience to stand up as a proportion – asking one in four young women to stand up as representation of statistically how many young women might be victims of domestic abuse and violence in the future. That will probably stay with me. It’s quite a strong visual sign, and I think it was very powerful.”
The St Albans Girls’ School event showcased the transformational impact of the First Give programme, which works with 210 secondary schools across England and Wales giving students the agency to identify causes in their community they care about, champion local charities, and create meaningful change in the world around them.
Director of First Give Isaac Jones said: “What we saw at St Albans Girls’ School exemplifies the power of youth social action. When young people are given the right tools and opportunities, they don’t shy away from difficult issues – they confront them head-on with creativity, determination and genuine passion for making a difference.”
The winning group, 9 Bronte, secured £1,000 for Charlie’s Promise, a charity raising awareness about knife crime named in memory of murdered Charlie Cosser. Their activities involved Years 7 and 8 and included a quiz measuring awareness before and after their campaign; football keepy-uppy challenges commemorating Charlie’s love of football; origami hearts resembling the charity’s logo and a “guess the sweets” challenge where the number represented a knife crime statistic.
One of the winning students said the majority of their £1,000 donation will go towards raising awareness of knife crime: “In our presentation we mentioned that they’re making a 45-minute educational video, which is what a lot of the £1,000 will hopefully help them to do. They’re quite a small charity as well, so they never get this big an opportunity.”
The seven other competing groups supported:
• Open Door (9 Austen) – Created interactive games and positive messaging;
• Stop The Traffik (9 Curie) – Engaged Year 7 in creating a paper chain symbolising breaking the chains of human trafficking;
• St Albans & Herts Women’s Refuge (9 Franklin) – Raised £30 for outdoor games;
• Red Kite (9 Hepworth) – Awareness raising and engagement activities;
• Age Concern (9 Johnson) – Visited the charity, designed posters, and ran seated exercise sessions;
• Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline (9P) – Trivia games and awareness campaigns;
• Action for Children (9S) – Focus on young carers through leaflets and quizzes.
St Albans Girls’ School headteacher Paul Kershaw, praised the programme’s impact: “My favourite thing about the First Give project is that it doesn’t only give students a sense of the kind of charities and vocations available to them, but also the oracy skills, public speaking, teamwork, research and ways of thinking outside of the box. All of that done for the charities alone rather than towards a GCSE or an A level I think is absolutely invaluable for them to experience.”
Cllr Heritage added: “I thought it was amazing the subjects and charities that students chose. Several groups particularly highlighted something that young people might not know about, which is really important. It’s learning what’s actually out there that can impact upon them.”
First Give has partnered with the Eden Project to help schools participate in The Big Help Out 2026 from June 5-8, the UK’s biggest celebration of community, with millions of people expected to take part. Find out more at www.edenprojectcommunities.com/schools
