It’s not every day Whistler teens have $5,000 to give away—but this spring, Grade 11 students at Whistler Secondary School did just that, selecting local non-profit Zero Ceiling as the recipient through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Canada.
A hands-on experience with real-world impact
The YPI program, now in more than 300 schools across Canada, empowers high school students to research social issues in their community, connect directly with local charities, and advocate for those organizations through a classroom pitch. Since launching in Toronto in 2002, YPI has granted more than $25 million to community-based charities across Canada and the U.K., all based on youth-directed decisions.
This marks the first year Whistler Secondary has participated.
“It was so good,” said teacher Caroline Morris, who ran the program as part of her Career Life Education course. “The kids had buy-in. It was something real and tangible.”
Four finalists, one $5,000 grant
The final event took place in the school’s multi-purpose room June 4. Student teams pitched on behalf of four local organizations:
Zero Ceiling, which supports young people experiencing homelessness or instability with supportive housing, employment training, and outdoor recreation programs; Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS), which provides essential social supports like the food bank, mental-health services, emergency funding, and social enterprises such as the Re-Use-It Centre; PearlSpace, a Sea to Sky non-profit offering inclusive support, safe housing, and advocacy for survivors of gender-based violence, including women, trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit individuals; and The Kelty Foundation, a Vancouver-based organization with strong local connections to Whistler focused on youth mental health, working to reduce stigma, prevent illness, and improve access to care through education and innovation.
Each presentation was approximately 12 to 15 minutes long, followed by a Q&A and evaluation by a panel of judges. Presentations were scored based on community connection, social impact, feasibility, innovation, sustainability, urgency, and the overall quality of the pitch.
Zero Ceiling takes the win
The winning team’s compelling presentation secured the $5,000 grant for Zero Ceiling, which plans to use the funding to address urgent needs in its outdoor recreation and housing programs.
“This winter we had just over 170 youth come through for skiing and snowboarding, many for the first time,” said co-executive director Lizi McLoughlin. “We’re hoping for 200 this summer through our mountain biking and hiking days. These funds will help us build staff capacity to support that.”
McLoughlin said the students’ engagement and understanding of Zero Ceiling’s mission was striking.
“They were so proactive. I was really struck by the thoughtfulness of their questions—they’d clearly connected with the work that we do,” she said. “We mostly work with youth aged 19 and up, and we haven’t had a lot of contact with high school students in Whistler, so this was a great way to build that relationship.”
Zero Ceiling also intends to invest in the long-term expansion of its housing program, which is currently oversubscribed. “Every time we open applications, we get double the number of youth we can accommodate,” McLoughlin added.
More than a classroom exercise
For Morris, the program wasn’t just about curriculum—it was about connection.
“I just loved seeing them work together,” she said. “I saw them really excited about the potential. And I also saw different groups who wouldn’t usually go together be inclusive. Some were placed together and made it work—and they actually formed bonds.”
She added experiential projects like this are vital for student engagement and life readiness.
“Career Life Education can be so valuable when you actually do it every day and dive deep," Morris said. "If you just skim the surface, it’s easy not to be invested. But real-life projects like this? That’s what they’re going to remember.”
She’s already planning to bring the program back next year. “YPI just opened up applications again—and I’m in,” she said.
Empowering future leaders
McLoughlin said she sees clear alignment between YPI’s goals and Zero Ceiling’s own values around youth empowerment.
“One of our core goals is handing real power to the youth we work with,” she said. “YPI does that, too. These students weren’t just participating—they were making real decisions, with real money, that directly impact their community.”
It’s a reminder, both women said, that young people don’t just have opinions. They have insight—and power.
“These students are the ones who’ll be making decisions in this town in the future,” McLoughlin said. “And they clearly already get it.”
Learn more about the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative at goypi.ca.
