Young people across England win national award

Young people from across England have won a national award by the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) for their excellent work in decision-making.

Young people from 5 youth charities, run by and for young people, have won the 2010 NCVYS Young Partners Award, funded by BIG Lottery.  The award celebrates and recognises youth leadership and what young people can achieve through working in partnership with adults. 

This year’s ceremony, which was planned, organised and hosted by members of NCVYS’s national youth forum, ENVOY, brought together 14 shortlisted groups of young people to celebrate the fantastic work they’ve achieved.

The awards were divided into five categories, with each having three shortlisted nominees with one being a winner in each section.

The prestigious ceremony was held on Saturday 4 December 2010 at the Lancaster London Hotel, with many young people in attendance, including, young performers, photographers and filmmakers.

Winners selected were:

• North Awards - Pulling Together Asian Women’s Group: They provide a wide range of exciting arts and cultural activities for female residents of Old Trafford and neighbouring areas. Pulling Together is primarily for 11-18 year old young women.

• Midlands Awards – Mencap, Me2 Award: The young people have their say in every decision; Being a panel member at me2 is all about inclusion, decision-making and growing into a more confident individual.

• South Awards - Chatterboxes Magazine: This is a youth-led magazine project which is designed and made by young people living in Bournemouth who have a disability.

• National Awards - Young Advisors: They are young people aged between 15 and 21, who show community leaders and decision makers how to engage young people in community life, regeneration and renewal.

• London Awards – Futureversity: They offer accredited and inclusive volunteering activities for 11-25 and opportunities to develop the skills and self-belief they need to get ahead in life.

The winners received several prizes including a grant from NCVYS towards developing their project, a year’s free NCVYS membership which has plenty benefits to each organisation and prizes from sponsors of the event which include an O2 Think Big training package and a PGL activity day. Participation Works also sponsored the event and had an exhibition space on the day with useful materials and resources. 

Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive of NCVYS said, “The Awards gives us the opportunity to celebrate youth participation throughout the voluntary and community sector in England. As with every year, we are inspired by the creativeness of the groups in overcoming a range of challenges and ensuring positive outcomes for everyone involved.”

Nicola Harvey, Marketing & PR Manager of Futureversity said, “We are delighted to be the London recipient of the prestigious Young Partners Award!  Young people are at the heart of everything Futureversity does, and we take great pride in involving them in our decision making processes and enabling them to fulfil their aspirations in life. To be recognised by the NCVYS for our work is fantastic!”