The Wings of Hope Achievement Award (WOHAA) is a programme which was created to encourage students to help other students across the world who are less fortunate than themselves. It also encourages our students to develop new skills, be leaders, and gain a sense of social responsibility.
Please take a look at our FAQs. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
WOHAA is a social enterprise programme for students in school years 9 – 13. The students are aiming to fundraise for the Wings of Hope Children’s Charity, which helps children in India and Malawi to receive a free education. The award programme provides opportunities for career development (e.g. Speed Mentoring) as well as various skills workshops for students who take part. There is a competitive element to the programme, and teams who demonstrate certain skills the best can win some top prizes, including work experience placements, and an expenses paid trip to India to visit one of the schools we support.
What do the students actually do?
In groups of up to 6, students plan and carry out their own events and activities in their school and local community. It is entirely up to the students what they choose to do. Examples of events previous participants have organised include bake sales, auctions, galas, sponsored swims, talent shows and sports days. We encourage students to use their skills and contacts to their advantage. The students can come from different schools within their team group, provided they can easily communicate with each other.
Not very much! We have a Resource Centre for students to look through for ideas and help but most importantly we are here to help them with any questions. Each team is assigned a WOHAA mentor who will be in regular contact with them via phone and email. We aim to have a liaison contact teacher at each school who can also advise them on any specific logistical queries (e.g. how to book the school hall). We do ask parents to write a letter which the students include when they submit their projects to us.
Are there legal restrictions on fundraising activities?
Under-16s are not allowed to fundraise on the street (unless they are taking part in an organized procession); fundraising in public spaces such as parks or pedestrian areas requires a local authority licence; third-party liability insurance may be required by venues hosting charity events. Collecting buckets and tins must be sealed throughout an event.
How are the projects assessed?
The students are not marked on the funds raised; instead, we assess them on the skills they have demonstrated.
The Snapshot Project is the students’ record of their fundraising activities. This Snapshot Project could be anything from a scrapbook, powerpoint presentation to video. The Wings of Hope requires parents to send in a letter about their son/daughter’s experience of WOHAA when they submit their Snapshot Project. The letter is a good way of feeding back to WOHAA about your experience as a parent and how, we hope, you have seen your child develop.
What happens after they submit the project?
If your child’s team is shortlisted to go through to the Semi-Finals, they will be invited to give a 5-minute presentation at the House of Lords to a very prestigious judging panel. The award timeline means Wings of Hope can only give relatively short notice of being short-listed, so it can be a rush to prepare the presentation, which needs to be on Powerpoint. WOHAA emails students about file formats, etc., but technical problems can occur, so make sure your son/daughter reads the information carefully and has copies of their presentation available on the day.
How do we know who the winners are?
We hold a glitzy award ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons in Holborn to celebrate your child’s hard work and we also announce the overall winners of WOHAA. All participants will receive a certificate which is sent to them via their schools.
Who gets the work experience placements?
Winners of awards are offered work experience placements with some of our corporate partners. Once they win, they must be as flexible as possible to which work experience they are offered. They will be asked for their preferences, but placements also depend on the date availability of the firms and the winners.
The team who wins in the ‘overall winners’ category are awarded the trip to India. As soon as the winners find out they have won, they will be given a pack about the details of the trip: flight details, accommodation arrangements, local addresses, emergency help, food and medicinal advice etc. There will be a couple of meetings for the parents and students with the Wings of Hope team who will explain everything in detail.
Whilst in India, the conditions are great. They are really looked after – all travel arrangements are made with the same driver. They stay in serviced apartments – so they can all be together in the room. Food is excellent; Wings of Hope are very careful with food arrangements. The winners will be asked to prepare some material they can teach to the younger students.
If you have any questions about WOHAA, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please find below the safety information we provide to students about participating in WOHAA.
Health & safety and risk assessments – It’s all about common sense. Make sure you follow the professional advice of staff supervising any facilities, like church halls, rooms for hire, sports facilities, sports equipment or any other equipment that you would be using for your events. The Wings of Hope cannot accept liability for any loss, damage or injury suffered by you or anyone else as a result of taking part in a fundraising event.
Food hygiene – This is vitally important. Please take great care when handling food and work to basic rules for safe preparation, storage and cooking. Food Standards Agency, UK has got a lot of useful information on the handling of food. Go to the FSA website: www.food.gov.uk
Insurance – Check that any buildings or equipment that you hire are covered and consider what other insurance you may need. Often insurance is included in the hire fee but not always. By organising a fundraising event you are responsible for taking adequate steps to ensure that the event poses no risk to others. You may wish to consider arranging public liability cover for some events which will protect you against claims made by third parties for injury or property damage as a result of negligence.
Licensing – Be aware of licensing requirements – a public entertainment licence may be required. Liaise with your local authority, the police and other relevant parties as necessary.
Public collections – These are collections that take place in a publicly owned place. Public collections are governed by strict legal requirements and must be licensed by the Local Authority. Before you approach your Local Authority for a licence, you must contact us. Collectors have to be over the age of 16 and bear in mind that some licences can take up to two months to obtain.
Private collections – Collections on private premises do not need the permission of the local authority; only the permission of the owner of the premises concerned (e.g. a pub or supermarket).
Raffles, lotteries and prize draws – Anyone can hold a raffle or lottery, right? Well, it’s not that simple. In fact, there are strict and complex laws relating to raffles and lotteries. There are also legal requirements regarding prizes, the costs of running a raffle or lottery and the way they are organised. Get in contact with your local authority before holding one of these events and before you spend money on getting some tickets printed. Believe it or not, some events you might not think of as lotteries, such as duck or balloon races, are covered by lottery laws.
Data protection – Make sure any electronic or paper record you keep about people involved in a fundraising event complies with the Data Protection Act. As a rule of thumb, don’t keep information about people any longer than you have to, and don’t share information or data about someone without their permission.
Declaration – I understand that I should seek medical advice from my general practitioner if I am in any doubt about my physical ability to take part in any events. I acknowledge that I am undertaking this activity entirely at my own risk and that Wings of Hope shall not be liable in any way for any injury or loss that might occur as a result of my participation. I understand that Wings of Hope will, in no way, be liable for any claim that may arise from these events.
Should you wish to talk to someone in our office on the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.
