Community Involvement
Students at St. Francis’ College are actively encouraged to get involved in a wide range of community projects and fundraising initiatives. Each tutor group in the Senior School selects a charity to support every year and then organises a range of events throughout the year to raise money for their chosen charity. Charities supported include Prostate Cancer UK, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and the UN World Food Programme.
There are also a series of whole school charity events which are organised to support national initiatives such as Macmillan Cancer Support’s Coffee Morning or Children in Need, while others support projects such as the collection of books for Just Be a Child’s initiative to set up libraries in remote parts of Kenya.
It is important that students also learn to make the right choices when it comes to giving. They are encouraged to read about charities they donate to, to make ethical choices and to look at the wider needs of the world when choosing where to donate their money or give their time.
Every year, St. Francis’ College also raises money for our whole school international charity, the Kanyike Project. All funds raised from our annual Recycled Fashion Show and whole school Summer Picnic go towards projects in this self-sustainable community of eight villages in Uganda. Father Kakuba Kapia visits the College every two years to talk about the work of the Kanyike Project, and regular visits are made to Kanyike by groups of Sixth Form students and staff.
We make every effort to engender the idea that charity does not stop at the school gate. We welcome groups to use our facilities to fundraise, as well as offering our facilities for use by local schools. We encourage every member of the College community who undertakes charity work by sharing their appeal information and raising awareness of personal charity challenges such as endurance events. As a result, many of our students are also involved in their local community helping as volunteers outside school. The projects that students support reflect their wide range of interests, but all charity and community initiatives help to foster a sense of social responsibility and community awareness.
