School pupils at St Machar Academy teamed up with Deloitte in late November to host a lunch and learn session for Deloitte’s local charity partner, Aberdeen Cyrenians.
As part of its 5 Million Futures programme, which focuses on helping people in the UK overcome barriers to education and employment by working with schools and charities, Deloitte invited the events class of 24-25 to its offices to organise a lunch and learn session for Aberdeen Cyrenians.
The students worked with Deloitte and Aberdeen Cyrenians to deliver the event, which focused on the work being done by the charity and the societal challenges currently being faced in the North-east.
The pupils were tasked with planning and booking the event, as well as coordinating with guests and speakers. They took a leading role in running the session, setting up the venue, welcoming guests and ensuring that the all-important catering kept everyone fuelled up.
After a successful event, the students returned to St Machar Academy with a newfound confidence, having developed their teamwork and organisational skills through working alongside their classmates and the Deloitte team.
Mr Wright, teacher at St Machar Academy, said: “It has been brilliant to bring corporate events to life for the pupils and let them see the demands of a real-life event planner, instead of having them plan a paper-based event.
“Deloitte has been really supportive for the young people which has allowed them to gain so much confidence.”
This sentiment has been echoed by pupils, with Shekhat, one of the organising students, adding: “The process was long but worth it at the end as we have never organised anything as professional as the lunch and learn. It was very exciting seeing it was all coming together and happening like we planned.”
As part of its 5 Million Future programme, Deloitte has also worked with St Machar Academy on a series of business and financial awareness sessions, as well as hosting mock interviews for hospitality, travel and tourism pupils.
Deloitte’s 5 Million Futures programme has helped over 661,000 people, with Deloitte professionals volunteering more than 55,000 hours of their time.
Lyn Cowie, Deloitte associate partner and 5 Million Futures Aberdeen office lead, said: “The 5 Million Futures programme is dedicated to breaking down barriers to skills, education, and employability, helping to create opportunities for people to reach their full potential.
“As part of our commitment to supporting the local community, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with the students and teachers at St Machar Academy (our 5MF education partner) and Aberdeen Cyrenians (our 5MF charity partner), supporting their aspirations and helping individuals gain valuable new skills and experiences. It’s been an inspiring journey, and we’re excited to continue building on these partnerships.”
Donna Hutchison, chief executive officer, Aberdeen Cyrenians, said: “Thanks to Deloitte and the students and teachers at St. Machar Academy for putting this event together and giving us the platform to increase awareness of not only the vital work we do, but the current challenges faced by the North-east. None of us necessarily know what goes on behind closed doors and we strongly believe through these types of events we can make sure those who are in need know how to access the available support.”