A GROUP of east end pupils has won £3000 for Glasgow anti-bigotry charity Nil by Mouth.

The young people, who all attend Whitehill Secondary, won the money as part of a competition aimed at promoting philanthropy amongst teenagers in Scotland.

The Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), which is run by the Wood Foundation, encourages students to develop skills and confidence by picking a charity to support, learning more about its aims and values and then working as a team to secure the cash prize for their cause.

The Whitehill pupils pitched their bid to support work being done to address sectarian attitudes in Glasgow and used group and individual presentations, research and poetry to convince judges to award the money to Nil by Mouth

Whitehill Secondary School Head Teacher Pauline Swan said: “We are very proud of the work of all the pupils who took part in this competition, and I am delighted that this group showed the right blend of imagination and evidence to clinch the prize for their chosen charity.

“The school greatly values our partnership with the Youth Philanthropy Initiative and through it we help promote the work and raise awareness of a host of charities to our pupils. There is an abundance of ability and potential here at Whitehill and its fantastic to see pupils achieve so much in this way.’

Nil by Mouth was founded by Cara Henderson when she was 19 years old, following the brutal sectarian murder of her friend, Mark Scott, who was murdered by a stranger on his way home from a football match in Glasgow. Grieving and angry, and realising that the kind of hatred which led to Mark’s death was deeply ingrained in Scottish society, Cara decided to take a stand. In 2014, she was named Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year.

Director Dave Scott said: “Our charity was set up by a teenager and we have always believed that young people will be the real drivers for change on this issue. The pupils did all of this themselves, using their own words, ideas and style. We were blown away when they got in touch to say they had won and it is really touching that they thought of us. They present a diverse, tolerant, funny and clever side to Glasgow that is a much truer reflection of our city than some of the scenes we have endured in recent months.”

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Since YPI was introduced to Scotland in 2008 the programme has engaged more than 200,000 young people who have taken responsibility for securing £4.5m of charitable giving to a host of causes. YPI now stands as the biggest independent initiative being delivered within Scottish education.

Executive Chairman Sir Ian Wood said: “Helping youngsters understand the important work charities do is a vital way of getting them involved in their communities and doing more throughout their lives. We hope these funds, and the awareness raised through this process, will support work being done for people in their community and beyond.”