Ducks race for philanthrophy

01 Nov 2021

A duck race on the Avon River raised almost $9000 recently, thanks to Year 13 Freddie Sudell and his Generation Give colleagues.

Freddie was one of 20 students from throughout Christchurch who spent a 20-week two-term stint learning about the charity sector, operating as a charity board, organising a major event, attracting sponsorship and deciding on the distribution of the funds.

He was the only College student taking part in the latest GenGive action, a scheme which originated in Queenstown and is modelled on youth philanthrophy programmes in North America and Europe. The group met for two hours each Monday afternoon.

“We learnt a huge amount from speakers from the charity sector about the philanthropic process. The end action was to apply these learned skills to an activity which would result in giving away at least $10,000 to worthy community causes.

“It really opened our eyes to the fundraising/charity sector and it taught us about sponsorship and how to run a company. Everyone was very motivated and interested, and even though our Avon River Duck Race took a bit of organising, it made nearly $9000.”

The money raised was distributed to five charities, the largest chunk going to Conductive Education Canterbury.

Generation Give