About a month ago, as part of my Edukid DofE volunteering, I hosted a Charity Christmas Market and Disco event at my school, Queen Mary’s High. This would be my third charity event of my volunteering time, and after the success of the first disco I did in the Autumn, I decided to hold another, with the added element of a market inside the venue as well, to raise additional money. 

I expected the event to do well- but never could have predicted absolutely smashing my target of £80 by over 400% and raising £328 for University Scholarships in Uganda and Cambodia! This made me incredibly proud, but also meant a lot to me as I knew that, from beginning the road to University myself, it would make a big difference for both these students’ lives and their futures in less fortunate countries than my own.

The event was stressful to say the least, with decorating, setting up tables and chairs, and sorting out vendors, including Samosas, Carved Decór and Hot Chocolates, but absolutely was worth it, as I saw the whole school get involved, from teachers to year sevens to sixth-formers! I would definitely recommend running a large charity event like this at your own school or workplace, as it can have a big impact, especially around the holiday time. In the meantime, I will be planning my next fundraiser for the charity as part of my DofE volunteering, and am excited to build upon my funds for this excellent charity.

Speak soon,

Freya

Year 13

Queen Mary’s High, Walsall

Hi,

I just wanted to share that I have completed my first fundraiser event as part of my Edukid remote volunteering for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award! After weeks of planning, it all came together on the 10th October, where around 50 people came and enjoyed the personalised selection of music, free snacks and refreshments, and the merchandise available for sale, which included custom pin badges as well as glow-sticks. When collecting all of the donations, including the entrance fee, I found out that I was able to raise an impressive £66.25 for the charity!

I chose Edukid for my volunteering project, as it would fit in well with my schoolwork, as it is remote, but also because I am passionate about making change in the world and creating more equality where it is needed. This is why I would like my raised money to go towards Inclusive Education projects, which will support children’s special educational needs and diverse abilities in Cambodia, Peru and Uganda, which I feel especially passionate about as I have special needs at school myself, and want every child to access such opportunities as I have.

Challenges with my fundraiser included getting people involved, as I originally wanted to do a silent disco, which not many were interested in. For my solution, I decided to do a classic disco instead, charging a reasonable price of £1.00, which got many people to become interested in the event, who will likely support my next event as well.

For one of my later events, I plan on doing another disco, as it was fun, relatively simple to organise once I had the venue and support team, and people were genuinelly interested in coming to another one.

Until next time,

Freya, Queen Mary’s High School, Walsall.