THE JEWISH CHRONICLE OUTSTANDING YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT

1. South Hampstead High School

The South Hampstead High School community has long supported Mitzvah Day. This year, stacks of pre-loved books were donated to The London Book Project, which redistributes them to children who need them most, and van-loads of groceries were delivered to the JW3 Foodbank, who help alleviate local food poverty. Pupils also made upcycled tote bags from old t-shirts, to be used to collect food from restaurants and shops that would otherwise be thrown away.

2. Huddersfield JSOC

The students volunteered to prepare food and serve it at DASH Soup Kitchen, which provides critical food resources for the homeless, elderly, lonely, and vulnerable people in the local area. Students also donated stationery to help asylum seekers access education via Shared Goods.

3. UJIA Matana Club, Glasgow

Matana Club members volunteered at the Black Door Shop in Giffnock, Glasgow, helping them sort donations for refugees, litter picks around Giffnock and do sustainable crafts to bring joy to others. Everyone also joined in by contributing clothes, household goods, toiletries, and shelf-stable food items to support local communities and individuals in need.

4. Edinburgh University JSOC – Charity Fair for Mitzvah Day

This charity event brought the university’s faith societies and many local charities together in one room to celebrate the amazing work they do. All the students who came along were engaged with volunteering and other opportunities on offer, and also collected a significant quantity of food for local food banks. To top it all off, it was a wonderful interfaith event, bringing different Edinburgh students together in order to celebrate the shared values of charity, community and helping others.

5. 20th Finchley Cubs and Scouts

Finchley’s Beavers (6-7-year-olds), Cubs (8-9-year-olds), and Scouts (10-13-year-olds) all undertook various Mitzvah Day projects on their own, and with their parents, a community craft day with Norwood and baking for the patients at the North London Hospice, as well as collecting 12 crates of food for the Chipping Barnet Food Bank and 2 crates of books for Langdon. In the afternoon, they performed another mitzvah by taking part in the AJEX Parade which reminded them that remembrance in itself is a mitzvah.