1

Take on the Centurion Challenge

2

At The Children’s Society, we are passionate about seeing children’s lives changed for the better. Whether facing the disadvantage of poverty, the burden of caring for a loved one, or the trauma of sexual exploitation, we make it our mission to help young people with nowhere else to turn.

Last year, thousands of schools across the country supported our work with young people by fundraising for us. Between them, they raised £145,000 – a fantastic amount which was vital in helping us to continue supporting this country’s most vulnerable children and young people. By taking on our Centurion Challenge, you too can play your part in changing children’s lives.

How does it work?To take part in the Centurion Challenge, your school will need to complete at least one fundraising activity which raises £100 within a 100-hour period between Monday 18 April and Friday 22 April. It’s entirely up to you what type of fundraising activity you choose. To help get you started, we’ve included a number of fundraising ideas which you’ll find on pages 4 to 5.

Introduction£100. 100 hours. Changing hundreds of lives.Monday 18 April – Friday 22 April

3

Once the donation from your activity has been sent into us, your school will then be added on to our Centurion Challenge leader board, with prizes being awarded for the following categories:

1. Fastest CenturionsThis award will be given to the school that raises £100 in the fastest time.

2. Biggest CenturionsThis award will be given to the school that raises the most money in the space of 100 hours – reaching £100 doesn’t mean you should stop fundraising!

3. Most creative CenturionsThis award will be given to the school who puts on the most original and creative fundraising activity, irrespective of how much they raise.

4. Centurion Dragon-SlayerThis prize will be awarded to the school that raises the most money from taking on the Centurion Dragon-Slayer challenge. For more details on this, see page 5.

All schools who take part will receive a certificate. Schools who win in any of

the above categories will also receive a Centurion Challenge trophy.

For a full list of the competition rules, visit childrenssociety.org.uk/centurion-rules

Why £100?Every donation we receive can help us continue our work with children, however a donation of £100 would be particularly helpful to us, as this could help us to train a new project worker to provide intensive one-to-one support to a young person at risk of sexual exploitation.

Our experience has shown us that this intensive support is the most effective in making a positive impact on a young person’s life, which is why it is so important to us that we continue it.

4

Over the next few pages we’ve listed a few fundraising ideas to help your school become successful Centurion Challengers. Your students are likely to have lots of great ideas of their own, so encourage them to be involved in planning your activity as much as possible. You could even get classes to compete against each other, helping to develop teamwork and leadership skills – not to mention a little bit of healthy competition.

Spelling BeeChallenge parents and pupils to a spelling bee. Charge a £2 entry fee for all competitors as well as spectators. To boost your fundraising and make sure you hit your £100 target, serve refreshments during breaks or at the end of the competition either for a set price, or in exchange for donations. You can make up your own spelling bee, or use ours. Just visit childrenssociety.org.uk/centurionspell

Bake ‘n’ Brew A great go-to fundraiser, selling cakes, coffee and other refreshments is a simple and easy way to raise money. You could encourage some friendly competition by hosting your own bake off, asking star bakers to enter their best goods and selling what they produce.

The Great Centurion QuizUnlike any quiz you’ve seen before, the Great Centurion Quiz tests general knowledge, wit and agility. A fun event for pupils, friends and family to enjoy, plus we’ve designed it all for you already. Just visit childrenssociety.org.uk/centurionquiz You can also use the Maths, History and Grammar rounds as icebreaker activities for lessons.

Teachers’ Talent ShowHolding a talent show is a fantastic opportunity for your pupils to see their teachers show off their talents outside of teaching. Get students involved as much as possible in helping to organise the event. This could include hosting, promoting, lighting and sound, stewarding and set up of the event.

Family Film Night Use your assembly hall to host a family film night. Ask parents and pupils to vote for their favourite classic film a few weeks beforehand, then show the most popular one. Raise money by charging entry for tickets, as well as selling refreshments. To save on costs, ask your local shops to donate snacks to you for free. If you are doing a film night, remember to check for any relevant licenses you may need by visiting filmbankmedia.com/licences

Choose your activity

4

5

Obstacle CourseEncourage pupils and parents to put their endurance to the test by taking on an obstacle course. Mix and match classic sports day activities such as an egg and spoon race, with puzzles, climbing walls and whatever else you can think of. Charge entry for participants as well as competitors.

RaffleAnother classic fundraising activity, raffles are an easy way to raise large sums of money quite quickly. The key to a successful raffle is to make sure you have quality prizes on offer and that you sell raffle tickets at a reasonable price. As well as being a great fundraiser in its own right, raffles are also an easy activity to add on to any other fundraising activity to help boost donations.

The Dragon-SlayerA challenge for budding entrepreneurs and business students, this fundraiser is not for the faint-hearted, but could put your school in with a chance of winning the highly esteemed Centurion Dragon-Slayer Award. To complete this challenge successfully, participants must successfully bid for a £100 donation from a local business, which they then use to invest in another event or idea which raises an additional £250 – all within the space of 100 hours.

You can find resources for all of the suggested

activities online at

childrenssociety.org.uk/centurion

6

Top tips to boost your fundraising

1 Try to avoid dates which clash with other events and activities.

2Promote your activity in advance and spread the word as much as possible. We have posters and template letters to parents and guardians available to help you do this.

3Share stories about our work – people are more likely to give if they understand what difference their donation will be making. You can share Sophie’s story on the opposite page or download one of our short talks or videos about our work.

Top tips

7

Sophie’s story

‘I was extremely lucky to find The Children’s

Society at the time I did. I was just on the brink

of becoming someone who no-one could have

saved me from.’

Sophie was referred to The Children’s Society after police found her at the home of a man they were arresting on suspicion of sexually assaulting women. Sophie had started running away and going missing from home shortly after her sixteenth birthday. She was having difficulties at home, her relationship with her dad was deteriorating and she rarely went to school. It was during her missing episode that she met a gang at a local skate park and befriended the older man.

Fortunately, the support Sophie received from her project worker resulted in her going back to school, where she successfully completed her GCSEs and is now at college. When she finishes college, she wants to work with young people who are facing difficulties, because she knows she can relate to them. She’s feeling positive about the future and is proud of the progress she’s made.

8

Once your event is over, all that remains is for you to pay in your donation. You can do this by:

Paying in your donation onlineSimply pay the funds raised into your own bank account and then visit childrenssociety.org.uk/centurion-pay to make a payment to us.

Sending us a chequeYou can send us a cheque made payable to ‘The Children’s Society’ to:

Freepost RSYH–HEEE–XZEGThe Children’s SocietyCenturion ChallengeEdward Rudolf House69-85 Margery StreetLondonWC1X 0JL

If sending a cheque, remember to include a paying-in slip so that your school can be entered onto the Centurion Challenge leader board. If you don’t have a paying-in slip, you can print one off from our website, at childrenssociety.org.uk/centurion, or call 0300 30 30 555 to order one, (8am–9pm Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm Saturday–Sunday).

Paying in your money

9

How we use the money you raiseWe are committed to ensuring that we provide the best support possible for children and young people, which is why we are so mindful of how we spend the money that’s raised for us.

69p in every £1 that we spend goes directly towards supporting children and young people. Below are just a few examples of how the money you raise could help to support a vulnerable child.

£100 could help to train a new project worker so they

can provide vital support to children living on the streets who have run away from horrific physical

and mental abuse.

£250 could help poorer families learn about good health and nutrition, leading to significant improvements

in the well-being of disadvantaged children.

£500 could help a project worker deliver intensive one-to-one support sessions to a neglected teenager who

was sexually exploited by an adult.

£1,000 could help to fund our Young Carers Festival, which

gives young carers the opportunity to relax, have fun, forget about their caring duties and discuss

issues that really matter to them.

10

Groomed child. Helping hand. Growing trust.Right now in the UK, more than 16,500 children are at high risk of sexual exploitation and abuse by predatory adults.

The Children’s Society’s services provide confidential and independent support and advice for all young people at risk or who have been sexually exploited, some of whom have gone missing from home or care. This ranges from intensive one-to-one support provided by a project worker to group work that educates children and young people about healthy relationships.

Our Policy team also lobbies and influences decision makers to make sure that children at risk of sexual exploitation are identified as early as possible and given the support they need to move on with their life.

‘The Children’s Society has been a champion

for me, really. They never gave up, and

I really needed that.’ Abbie, 15

Young runaway. Understanding listener. Bright future.Every five minutes in this country a child runs away from home or care. This equates to more than 100,000 children each year, many of whom are fleeing terrifying violence and abuse.The Children’s Society has led the research, policy and practice agenda to protect young runaways for over 30 years. Recent successes include over 40 local authorities signing up to our Runaways Charter and all councils having to offer young runaways a return interview, which can be vital

to getting to the root of problems. In addition, our services provide independent and confidential help, advice and support for children who have run away or are at risk of running away.

‘The Children’s Society has really helped me turn my life around.’

Janine, 15

10

11

Unloved teenager. Now supported. New hope.Children in care tell us that they feel unsupported and that no one listens to what they have to say. This often results in frustration, poorer life chances and little self-worth.

The Children’s Society knows the UK’s care system is failing children. This is why we tirelessly lobby the government to improve the situation for children in care so they have happy childhoods and go on to live fulfilling adult lives. We also provide advocacy services so the voices of children in care are heard.

And we train and support independent visitors who regularly meet children in care to listen to their needs and help them work through any problems they’re facing.

‘If The Children’s Society wasn’t here to help

children like me, then there would be a lot

more people suffering.’Emily, 17

Young carer. Problems voiced. Better supported.In England, around 166,000 children and young people, including some as young as five, care for ill or disabled parents or younger brothers and sisters.

For almost 20 years, The Children’s Society has campaigned for change and promoted best practice within central and local government to improve the lives of young carers. We offer training, information and support to voluntary and statutory agencies who may be working with children providing care for family members with chronic illness or disability. Since 2000, we have also helped to organise the

only Young Carers Festival in the UK. This annual event invites 1,500 young carers to relax, have fun and take part in consultations on issues that affect their lives.

‘I’ve received so much support from

The Children’s Society Young Carers In Focus

programme to raise awareness about the

issues young carers face.’ Melissa, 16

11

If you would like to know more about The Children’s Society and our work with children and young people, please visit childrenssociety.org.uk or call our Supporter Care Team on 0300 303 7000. Charity Registration No. 221124 R

FDD

013

2/0

116

It is a painful fact that many children and young people in Britain

today are still suffering extreme hardship, abuse and neglect.

The Children’s Society is a national charity that runs local projects, helping children and young people when they are

at their most vulnerable and have nowhere left to turn.

We also campaign for changes to laws affecting children and young people, to stop the mistakes of

the past being repeated in the future.

Find out more atchildrenssociety.org.uk