WOHAA FAQs

WOHAA has five stages:

Stage 1: September-December

Assemblies and presentations are carried out in schools. Students register online; the deadline is November 30th.

Stage 2: September-April

Fundraising begins as soon as teams have registered. The WOHAA team will mentor students during this period and participants also have access to our jam-packed Resource Centre.

Stage 3: May

Students submit their Snapshot projects to us for assessment. Students in years 9-11 also have the option to submit at the end of January; please get in touch for further details.

Stage 4: June

Teams are shortlisted to attend our Semi-Final at the House of Lords, where they present their projects to a panel of judges.

Stage 5: July

We hold our annual Award Ceremony, a night of fun, glitz and celebration for all participants, teachers and parents. Winners are announced and trophies are presented, with musical entertainment and special guests.

Winners of awards are offered work experience placements with some of our corporate partners. Once they win, they must be as flexible as possible about which placement they are offered. They will be asked for their preferences, but placements also depend on the availability of the firms and the winners.

Students usually start with small events such as bake sales or car washes, then move on to larger projects such as sponsored walks or sports events. We encourage them to think big and aim for more impressive events towards the end of the programme, such as gala dinners, concerts or talent shows.

Past events have included chilli-eating contests, sponsored head-shaves, gala dinners, skydives, talent shows, non-stop radio shows, game shows, sponsored football matches and walks, fashion shows, auctions, music nights, busking, swim-a-thons and Christmas sales. Our Resource Centre has many more ideas to draw on, so get creative!

Projects are assessed on the events run, how they were run, the quality of the Snapshot, how the team grew, how much they raised, how actively they promoted their events and many other aspects. WOHAA is not only about how much students raise, but how they do it.

The main award categories are:

• Most Entrepreneurial Team or Individual
• Most Awareness Raised and Best Presentation
• Community Action Award
• Excellence in Sport, the Arts, Culinary or Technology
• Most Funds Raised
• Overall Winning Team or Individual

The top 20-25 teams are invited to our Semi-Final at the House of Lords, where each team presents its WOHAA project to a panel of distinguished judges. We aim to ensure a good balance of schools are put forward.

Students' Snapshot projects present their WOHAA journey, detailing their events, ideas, struggles and successes. They can take any form the students choose; past entries include scrapbooks, PowerPoint presentations and video diaries. Students describe their motivation, challenges and teamwork, using photographs, drawings, stickers and other representations of their events. The Snapshot encourages students to express themselves and reflect on what worked for them.

WOHAA is open to any student aged 13-18.

To maintain the quality of the programme and expand it to as many students as possible, schools should be aware of two guidelines:

• We require a minimum of two participating teams; each team can have 1-6 students.
• We hope for a total fundraising target of £1,000 across all teams from one school.

The fundraising figure is a target, not a requirement or a cap. Schools do not have to make up a shortfall, and many teams raise more than £1,000 each. Please get in touch with our team if you have any questions.

Good news: WOHAA does not charge schools a participation fee. Unlike other similar programmes, we are determined to maintain our ethos of empowerment for all, so schools can participate for free.

There is an administration charge of £15 per participant on registration. Some schools choose to cover this for their students. The charge covers our costs so that as much fundraising as possible can help students around the world access free education.

Absolutely! You can bring them as a school group or promote the event within your school. WOHAA students can attend for free and non-WOHAA students pay £10.

We strongly encourage WOHAA students to attend. They receive extra points for their project, as well as tailored careers advice from top professionals and students from London Business School.

Whether students run their WOHAA projects in or out of school time depends on the students and what their school allows. A balance of both often works best. WOHAA should never interfere with lessons and requires no dedicated curriculum time.

In-school events might include lunchtime bake sales, selling wristbands in a shared area, or a student-planned school concert. Out-of-school events might include sponsored sports, busking, community work, charity galas or concerts at venues arranged by the students.

The programme is adaptable, although we chiefly operate in three ways:

1. Assemblies: we introduce the programme in a school assembly or another suitable presentation slot, after which students sign up online.
2. Targeted presentations: schools advertise internally first, then we present to a smaller group.
3. Careers or enrichment fairs: we attend with a stall where students can learn more and sign up.

You can also introduce the programme yourself. Please get in touch to arrange supporting materials.