A Conversation on Social Action, Empowerment, and Mental Health at Saint Francis Xavier Sixth Form College
In December 2025, Saint Francis Xavier Sixth Form College proudly celebrated its inaugural First Give Final. Students, staff, and community partners gathered to recognise the inspiring social action carried out throughout the programme.
Guided by Community Engagement Champion Juan Sanchez and tutor Amy Stanford, students explored local issues and championed causes close to their hearts. Their hard work shone through as class ABO1 secured the £1,000 First Give grant for Mentivity, a mentoring charity that focuses on raising aspirations and skill building for young people.
Afterwards, First Give interviewed presenting student Ruqaiyah, and Ms Stanford, to discuss mental health.
Ruqaiyah is a Year 12 student, but she is also a wellbeing ambassador at the college and, supported by other students and Ms Stanford, hosts weekly sessions for students to attend with a focus theme, such as exam stress.
Ruqaiyah holds the £1000 grant won for Mentivity
Your team won the First Give programme – take me back to that day.
Ruqaiyah: I felt nervous! I’d had practise of performing before, such as in Drama back in secondary, but this is a real-life audience, and we were actually speaking to members of different charities, and having the mayor there was really nerve- wracking. Obviously when I was presenting, I felt shaken, I had to maintain my tone of voice so the Judges could understand our aim. But to win, I thought “wow”, I felt like I’d accomplished something very big.
Why a mental health charity?
R: Mental health isn’t spoken about enough in secondary school. Most of the time, when a young person needs extra support, they end up on a too-long waiting list, and the information they’re given doesn’t help them to feel like they’re overcoming the things they’re dealing with.
I’ve been someone who has struggled with my mental health, especially in Year 10 and 11, and I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to make sure you have good mental health because not having that can affect your academic performance.
This is an opportunity for me to speak out, so that other children can pursue the dreams and grades they dream of.
This is an opportunity for me to speak out!
Ruqaiyah, Student, Saint Francis Xavier Sixth Form College
Do you want to work in the mental health space one day?
R: Me personally, I want to work in family law, that’s my dream so it does contribute with both health and social care and childcare. A lot of mental health issues in children stem from the family home.
What would you do if another student told you they were struggling with their mental health?
R: I would delve in with what they’re struggling with and see if we can find a connection.
Ms Stanford (Amy): It’s that sense of relatability as well. We have weekly wellbeing sessions – there are so many stems of where these problems come from, such as culture, family, birth order and how that presents in young people’s lives and we get to have a forum where you see the lightbulbs go off and everyone sees, “Oh, that’s like me!”
What did you learn about mental health, through the First Give programme or your research into Mentivity, that has stayed with you?
A: Through First Give you were really encouraged to look deeply at information, research and to ask questions.
R: We were drawn to Sayce at Mentivity because he had a difficult childhood and he wanted people like him to go higher and achieve more. People of colour can suffer from mental health problems due to racism.
A: In some cultures, mental health problems aren’t seen as a “thing.”
R: And Sayce wanted to be a spokesperson for young people of colour in South London.
Which skills do you feel you developed the most through taking part in the programme?
R: Consistency and organisation! I couldn’t just slack off, and I’ve learnt that consistency brings a big reward. Also, confidence, through the programme I had to approach people and ask them questions, and that’s something I find really hard!
A: I think having the Presentation Skills Workshop the week before really helped with Ruquiyah’s confidence, she had to stand and present in front of other students she didn’t really know!
(Talking to Amy); At what point in the programme did you feel most proud of Ruquiyah?
A: Oh, that’s tough! I think when our group won the Final. She’s up there, speaking in front of the Mayor, someone had dropped out last minute, so the presenting students had to pull together, fill the gap and talk more, and they were just so calm under pressure.
Ruquiyah, what advice would you give to a student taking part in First Give?
R: Have an open mind! You can be contributing to the community; you can be seen as a role model. I’ve got so much awareness of who I am as a person now.
Saint Francis Xavier Sixth Form College’s First Give Final celebrated both meaningful social action and the confidence and compassion of its students. Through their commitment to charities like Mentivity, and their willingness to engage in honest conversations, students like Ruqaiyah showed how transformative the programme can be. This inaugural event sets the foundation for a tradition that will continue to inspire future students to create positive change. We are so grateful to Mr Sanchez for partnering with First Give and can’t wait to see what the 2026/27 cohort achieve!
By Amanda Joyce – First Give Programme Delivery Officer for London & the South East