The students at Graven­hurst High School are working toward spreading the wealth of their knowledge to win a charitable grant for a local service group.

More than 40 students in 11 groups from two Grade 10 Civics and Discovering the Workplace classes are researching local social service groups toward the completion of a 10-minute proposal about why their chosen group is most deserving of the $5,000 grant offered by Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).

Started in 2002, YPI was started by the Toskan Casale Foundation to teach students the fundamentals of philanthropy and to give them an awareness of not only social service groups in the area, but to understand the problems that face their community.

Teacher Diana Clarke said this particular opportunity is consistent with the main aim of her course.

“This program links well with the civics class because civics is about becoming an informed and active citizen. It gives students an opportunity to be active agents of positive change and to prepare for future leadership in the community,” said Clarke. “Through this project, students research and learn about the problems that face our local community and possible ways of helping those in need.”

Clarke will narrow the field of 11 groups of four down to four groups with her assessment about who will be judged by the five-judge panel that will include Gravenhurst Mayor John Klinck, GHS vice-principal Kathy Brown and three peers.

The learning is ongoing in and out of the school, she added.

“Some of the great things that I have witnessed are the students connecting with the local representatives of their charities either by phone, e-mail or visiting the actual location. Students are talking about this project outside of class time and I can see the learning taking place as students step out of their comfort zone to learn real-life practical skills,” she said.

The students are currently researching The Salvation Army, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Muskoka Interval House and the Lions Club.

Two hundred schools in Ontario and British Columbia are participating in the initiative. They will all gather for a celebration in Toronto where the cheques will be presented to the representatives of the winning service groups on May 29.