How Alness 1000-hour dance volunteer earned diamond hoodie
A passion for dance has helped an Alness girl secure her diamond hoodie with over 1000 volunteering hours in the bag!
Ella Howie (15), a senior pupil at Alness Academy started volunteering at DNA Dance in the town in 2021, where she spent her time choreographing routines and leading dance sessions for younger children at the club.
She has also spent time volunteering with Alness Active Schools and has helped with playschemes in the school holidays.
More recently she has been delivering dancing sessions for all the Alness Academy cluster primaries.
Alan Banner and Natalie Ross, who created DNA Dance in 2019, were on hand to present Ella with her diamond hoodie at a special event at Alness Academy alongside Elizabeth MacDonald, High Life Highland’s leadership programme development officer.
Ella has only very recently received her platinum hoodie, which as well as achieving 750 volunteering hours, also involved a fundraising event for a charity of her choice.
Ella organised a bake sale at the Capstone Centre back in February with all proceeds (£170) going to the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
Elizabeth MacDonald commented: “Many congratulations to Ella on achieving Diamond hoodie status, she is one of a very small group of young people in the Highlands to do so. Ella has been an inspiring leader to lots of dance enthusiasts in particular.”
The High Life Highland Leadership Programme is an inclusive and transformative initiative equipping young people with practical leadership, life skills, and confidence with participants awarded coloured hoodies in recognition of their volunteering efforts.
They can volunteer in a huge variety of ways – not just in sports – but also in libraries, museums, music, conservation, community projects and so on.
Diamond hoodies are generously sponsored by the Highland Learning Academy.