Day 9: Citizenship star Rebecca Bailey

When the teacher leading a citizenship club at a school in Nottingham left their position in 2008, the group itself seemed destined to fail. That is until 17 year-old Rebecca Bailey took over the role. Like her fellow members, Rebecca believed in the work that the club was doing and had a strong desire to continue the commitment they initially made.  Since she has taken over, the club has not looked back.

Rebecca has now been running the citizenship club for the past year. It has hardly been short of hard work.  The main duty has been running weekly lunchtime sessions during which she has taught young people about local and international issues. On top of this she has planned and organised fundraising events and campaigns amongst her peers. She has overseen over 100 separate activities, from organising guest speakers from charities to interviewing MPs about environmental issues.

Since becoming the leader, in order to continue the clubs work, Rebecca has had the foresight and ability to expand it. She has inspired many others to volunteer by conducting assemblies across the school for every year group thus highlighting the importance of youth activism. Through these assemblies, she has seen a dramatic rise in membership and has been able to make the school as a whole, more aware of the club and its work. Within her school and throughout the wider community, Rebecca has highlighted many issues including fair-trade, homelessness and deforestation.

The main focus of the groups fundraising over the past year is the Cameroonian rainforest, a subject particularly close to Rebecca’s heart. This is why in April 2009, the citizenship club was given the National Giving Nation Award. The reward resulted in Rebecca and other members of the citizenship club winning a fact-finding trip to the region. During this trip she learnt about the deforestation of the Cameroonian rainforest, as well as the effects this has on local indigenous people called ‘Baka’. Since their return, the group have continued to support change in the area and raise money tirelessly for this very important issue.

The commitment Rebecca has made has not gone unnoticed. As well as the allotted time usually given for weekly sessions, she works in her free time, lunchtimes, tutor periods, assemblies and she has given up a lot of weekends especially to choreograph events in the wider community. Her nominator Richard John from the Citizenship Foundation noticed her commitment and the affect it has had:

“In terms of the school community, Bex has created a huge change in the mindset of her fellow pupils by nurturing engaged and conscientious citizens who now have a better understanding of their role and ability to affect change in society through developing skills of advocacy, campaigning and teamwork. She’s altered the whole ethos of the school by increasing the value of citizenship and charity work.”

Through her work with the Citizenship Club Rebecca has made such a big difference in such a short period of time. She has inspired so many people within and around her school and it doesn’t look like she’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

Day 8: Energetic environmentalist Katie Haywood

Bored and fed up during the summer holidays, Katie Haywood wanted to do something productive with her time and decided to volunteer. Being a perpetually shy person, this was no easy feat and little did she know that taking her first steps into her volunteer centre would literally change her life. She has now been recognised as a winner of a Young Achievers Award in the Environment category.

Katie is a member of many groups both national and international, dedicated to combating the effects of climate change and raising awareness of it among young people. One of these groups is The Hive, a youth volunteering project based in Worcester. Katie wrote the group’s information pack, organised publicity and has recruited over 50 more young people to join the organisation; an achievement which earned her a special youth award from the County Council.

Katie’s mother and nominator, Bev says of her:

“Sacrificing leisure time, she works selflessly on a range of projects, reluctant to say no when asked to help – she is amazing.”

Her work with UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC) and UNICEF/ TAG’D certainly supports this view. As part of UKYCC, a national project to raise awareness and action on climate change among young people, Katie has organised awareness events such as a “Hands Up!” day. The day was part of the International 350 campaign which encouraged individuals and local communities to all act on their ‘Day of Action’ and demand a fair, ambitious and binding deal at Copenhagen. Asking the question: “Why do you care about climate change?”, Katie  collected over 350  messages from her local community which included responses from the Bishop of Worcester, the local rugby team, MPs, the fire service, the Mayor of Worcester and children as young as 5. The responses were displayed throughout the town on the Day of Action.

A tireless activist, Katie was selected (after a gruelling and intense selection process) along with three other young people to represent Great Britain at the Children’s International Conference on climate change in Copenhagen last year. She was so thrilled at being chosen, that she burst into tears when she received the news on the train! Her reaction to being chosen for the climate change forum illustrates just how important the environment is to Katie. For her, climate change is not only a scientific or political issue but a moral one which is already affecting some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Volunteering has not only allowed Katie to make more people aware of climate change and encourage other young people to become involved, it has also given her the self confidence and sense of worth she needed in order to pursue her dreams. Far from her former shy self, she has now applied to study sustainable development at university and says:

“volunteering has shaped me into the person I am today and it has truly changed my life!”

Day 7: Fabulous filmmaker Rachel Edwards

Statistics show that the likelihood of a person having a car crash under the age of 25 is very high. With this knowledge, Rachel, 19, has channelled her creative talents into developing a road safety initiative to help reduce accidents. What started out as a media studies film project to highlight the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving has now become an educational tool-kit used throughout schools and colleges to help prevent injuries and fatalities.

Rachel has created a film that educates through the portrayal of a chain of events that the audience will relate to. Young partners are shown arguing at home and then a tragic scene follows where death occurs because a driver answers a call on their mobile phone.

Rachel’s fire for this issue was first recognised by the North Wales Police (NWP) after a beat manager saw her film and alerted the Flintshire Neighbourhood Watch Association (FNWA). Consequentially, she was invited to join one of the organisation’s youth volunteering programmes – a chance she embraced with enthusiasm. This opportunity gave her access to media equipment and expertise that have enabled her to truly flex her abilities and commitment through the creation of films to a professional standard.

Rachel’s resolve to improve young people’s care and attention while driving has seen her working alongside a number of partner agencies including the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police. She is now recognised as a young a leader in road safety campaigning. Her film has been used at events such as 100 Years Celebration of Youth Justice,  at a children and young people’s partnership event where the Welsh Assembly Education Minister asked for a copy, and in front of the North Wales Police Chief Constable at the Good Neighbour Conference where quite a few people had to wipe a tear away when it had finished.

The impact of Rachel’s films has been widely praised including a commendation from Alun Oldfield, Inspector South Flintshire NWP, who said:

“I think that what Rachel and the other young people have created is amazing. It’s a great example of young people giving their time voluntarily and helping in this type of safety campaigns.”

Ultimately, co-ordinating the toolkit has taken a great deal of perseverance, artistic dedication, and a belief that this kind of campaign work could save someone’s life. For these reasons, we are proud to recognise Rachel in the arts category of the Young Achiever’s Awards.

Day 6: Storytelling extraordinaire Joe White

Joe White never considered himself a great story teller, indeed his early school interests centred around maths and science, not the arts. However, he had soon transformed himself into an innovative, entertaining storyteller and embarked on the challenge of becoming chairperson for an active storytelling organisation. Through this journey, Joe has delighted many and perhaps surprised himself with his natural gift for storytelling and the subsequent recognition he has deservedly received.

Joe’s interest in storytelling was first sparked during a school “local stories” project, run by Mythstories, an organisation dedicated to storytelling as an art. Gaining confidence, in 2009 he entered the Young Storyteller of the Year competition. Despite being formally eligible for the under 18′s category, he participated in the under 25′s to allow a friend to take his place in the younger bracket. He was the youngest participant in his category and still went on to compete in the Shropshire heats and was chosen with two other students to represent Shropshire in the finals, at
England’s premier storytelling festival.

Such accolades and his own enthusiasm prompted Joe to accept the invitation to become the first Chairperson of the STWYtellers. This organisation was established in 2008 to train teenagers in the art of storytelling. He displayed imagination and innovation in his approach, developing new workshops, teaching diverse groups and transforming traditional stories into highly personalised, creative entertainment that all could enjoy. He had a clear strategy, to expand the parameters of the project and take the role beyond that of traditional storytelling. Instead Joe encouraged children to use their skills to hold and run storytelling sessions with each other and within the community. He is
involved in all aspects of the project and is instrumental in generating funds and raising the profile of the organisation.

Through this work, Joe has developed into an extremely confident and articulate individual, rightly receiving recognition from many quarters. He recently gained his Silver Arts Award in storytelling and was selected to participate in the National Youth Parliament, where along with 400 other students, he took part in the high profile, televised debate, broadcast on the BBC.

Joe’s involvement in the wider community is extensive. He has expanded STWYtellers to cover new schools, incorporating over 120 students in the local area. He is an active Rotarian, for whom he has been a committed fund raiser and he has completed a Youth Leadership course run by the Rotary Club. Somehow amongst all of this he still found the time to undertake a storywalk of his home town.

Joe has impressed people, often many years his senior, through his commitment, intelligence and
positive outlook. Dez Quarréll, his nominator says:

“Joe is passionate in his beliefs and will always speak up for what he believes is right. He is prepared to work hard for others and is not floored at the first hurdle. Most importantly Joe always lets his sunny disposition and charm rule his actions.”

Characteristics that will undoubtedly ensure he achievers further great things in the years ahead.

Day 5: Arts achiever Katy Dawe

When Katy’s friend Oliver Helmsey was stabbed in London in August 2008, she founded an arts campaign to raise awareness of knife crime in Hackney. ArtAgainstKinives is raising money for Oliver’s care as he is now paralysed from the neck down.

In spite of the pain caused by the stabbing, Katy and her friends were determined to find a positive outcome. In April 2009, Katie held an exhibition at the local town hall to support ArtAgainstKnives and to raise awareness. Local and celebrity artists lent her their pieces and she was able to execute a successful exhibition which raised over £60,000. In fact, she was so successful that some of the celebrities who attended the event, like Will Young and Daniel Radcliffe, pledged their continued support for the cause.

Given that she had no previous experience, Katy and her friends have managed to create a successful campaign and Katy has been able to build on her personal skills.

Fiona Dawe, her aunt and a nominator, said:

“Katy, Oliver and Alice have, without any previous experience, created something special and have leaned a huge amount about dealing with a tragic event in such a creative and positive way – and the ripple-effect is having a big impact.”

ArtAgainstKnives has grown from strength to strength since it was first created and has had a big impact on the Art world. The campaign has even been featured on BBC Radio London, London Tonight (on T.V), Vogue magazine and both local and London-wide newspapers.

Katy’s success is unique because she managed to engage the world of Arts and Fashion and got key played to take notice of he campaign and support it. She plans to start ArtAgainstKnives as a full-time charity and hopes that winning a Young Achiever’s Award will help her with this aim.

Day 4: Fundraising star Kristian Reed

Echoing the current situation for many graduates, Kristian found it difficult to find a job after working hard to put himself through university. Instead of complaining or sitting around waiting for a job to come to him, Kristian thought about his community and decided to volunteer his time. His commitment led to him being recognised as runner-up in the community category for the Young Achievers Awards.

Kristian was a founding member of the North Lincolnshire Youth Action Team, a group made up of other young volunteers dedicated to tackling issues within their community. Among these is the conservation and transformation of limited green space into an area of beauty which everyone can enjoy. Kristian, along with two other volunteers is attempting to create a Japanese garden in the heart of Scunthorpe with the aim of creating a striking visual attraction for all the people of North Lincs to enjoy. The group also tries to encourage more people to become volunteers, thus changing their community for the better.

One of the major projects Kristian was instrumental in was the ‘Don’t V Alone’ event. The campaign was organised to raise awareness of disability and challenge people’s perceptions of it. The three tiered event included tasks intended to encourage able- bodied people to think about the everyday jobs taken for granted which pose great difficulty for those with disabilities. One such task was attempting to reach the top floor of the local library, which highlighted the constant struggle of those who rely on wheelchairs for their mobility. The event also included a giant Chinese whisper, drawing attention to those with hearing difficulties and as anyone who has played Chinese whispers can imagine, on a giant scale, this probably resulted in many interesting results; especially when the phrase “a purple monkey in a refrigerator” is thrown into the mix!

The event, which raised over £800 for  Leonard Cheshire is just one example of Kristian’s selflessness and community spirit. He has also previously raised over £300 for Comic relief with a V-bay auction, undertaken a sponsored climb of Mount Snowdon for RNLI and gone on a sponsored 55 mile cycle ride from York to Scunthorpe, which raised an amazing £500 for local charities.

The skills which Kristian has developed through his volunteering have enabled him to secure employment, but this doesn’t stop him from continuing to volunteer. He’s also been approached to write some articles for a local magazine. In one, Kristian writes about the benefits reparation schemes have for young offenders. Throughout his volunteering, he has endeavoured to change the perception of young people.

Kristian’s youth volunteer advisor, David Plumtree, said:

“The publicity he has gained has helped a different generation to view young people in a positive light and we can’t thank him enough”.

Undoubtedly, the young people of North Lincolnshire he has helped would wholeheartedly agree.

Day 3: community star Abbi Morrall

Abbi Morrall, 17, was bullied for the first five years of her school life, but is now using her experience to support other bullied children and to raise public awareness of the issue. Her efforts have earned her a Young Achievers Award in the community category.

Abbi became a peer-mentor in junior school and then joined the Anti-Bullying Alliance in Leicester, and in November 2005, after winning a Champion of Respect award and £500, Abbi set up her own anti-bullying website www.abs-kids.co.uk. She currently receives in excess of 30 e-mails per day from bullied children across the UK. In February 2009, Abbi fulfilled her ambition in making the website a Registered Charity and she visits schools and community groups to talk about her experiences and how she beat the bullies. She is often a guest speaker at special events and functions, and has had meetings with the Shadow Secretary for Education, Nick Gibb. The publicity that Abbi has gained through her campaign, as well as the personal and friendly support that her website offers, has helped to bring the serious issue of bullying to the forefront of people’s minds. Abbi loves her work and spends most evenings answering her many emails, putting this before her social life.

Although Abbi was bullied for so many years, she has turned her life around to help others through their suffering. The website she created was her idea, her design and her vision. She wanted to see a website that was run by a young person who knew exactly how the children who contacted her felt. On the ground, Abbi runs a Soccer Camp for local children on a Saturday morning for two hours, where children aged between 5-12 years-old can play football in a relaxed atmosphere, and most of all, have fun. She charges the children £3 per session and all proceeds received (beyond pitch rental) go to the Abs Kids charity. Abbi is currently spending £2500 of the charity’s money to add live chat to the website, as well as some podcasts, which will cover every area of bullying.

Abbi intends to make Abs Kids a major name in anti-bullying campaigning and would like her website to go live internationally.  She already receives e-mails from children in Spain, Greece and Malta, proving that bullying is a worldwide problem. In an ambitious effort to raise money for her charity, Abbi recently did a 13,000 ft skydive, and is already planning her next fundraiser.

Abbi’s mother and supporter, Alison, says her daughter has grown stronger and more positive through running the website. Abbi has gained confidence speaking publicly about bullying and the effect it has on not only the individuals, but on their families too. Alison is sure that her daughter will succeed in raising her charity to an international platform. Abbi’s website has already featured on prime time television and has the backing of celebrities such as David Beckham and Sharon Osbourne, who Abbi met through running the site. Abbi’s transformation from bullying victim, to peer-mentor, to local, national and now global anti-bullying representative, is an incredible one and she has achieved great things in drawing attention to this important issue.

Day 2: sports star Adam Leighton

16 days of young achievements continues with Adam’s story. He’s the winner of a Sports Award in the 16-19s category.

Adam was a troubled youth and was known to the police and the authorities. He fell back at school and was always in trouble. Through his school, he was put on a volunteer programme and started by working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He then got involved with the 896 Youth Project and a project ran by the BYS, the crime reduction charity Nacro and Dorset police. The project uses football to engage young people with the local community and cut crime. He has grown with the project and contributed massively to it which is how he came to be nominated for the Young Achievers Award.

It was here that some of the specialist workers that supported him noticed his love of football. They also noticed his other positive traits like his maturity, his willpower and his ability to interact with his peers. To them he came across a leader and a good team player

Adam took on the big responsibility for his Bos Vegas football team of applying to the Youth Opportunity Fund and Football Foundation Junior Kit scheme in order to acquire football strips and portable floodlights for the project. The application was successful and they now have what they need. The floodlights are used during the winter and the strips have given the team a sense of identity. The work he has been doing coaching the young people has enabled them to represent the 896 Youth Project as well as build their confidence and show them that there are other ways to engage with the community they live in.

To date, Adam has successfully completed his FA 1 and is currently undertaking his FA 2 coaching qualifications which will help him with getting a job in future.

Adam has come a long way in three years and as he’s developed, so has the 869 Youth Project. He now volunteers at a Football social inclusion project led by Nacro and Safer and Stronger Communities in Boscombe where he also coaches young people between the ages of 8-12 years. He is a positive role model for them and can offer guidance and a listening ear as some of them are in a similar situation he was in three years ago.

Julian Cadwallader, the local Police Community Support Officer, who has worked with Adam, said: “This position of responsibility has impacted very positively on Adam and has helped him mature into a fine young man and a great example to other young people that they do not have to follow negative paths.”

Since becoming involved with the project, Adam now realises that there are more positive and productive methods for engaging with young people who are at risk of being excluded from society due to personal, economic and social issues. He is most proud of his FA qualifications and seeing the young people he works with, develop and doing positive activities. He has managed to completely turn his life around and has achieved a lot both for himself and also for the project.

16 days of Young Achievements

Over the next 16 days we’ll be revealing details of 16 award Winners – these will be eight winners and eight runners up (four people for each category) who were shortlisted and selected by our Judges at the end of 2009. They will be attending a Celebration Day at Amnesty International in London on 5th February.

On Day 1 we congratulate Peter Forrest who is the winner of the Environment Award in the 20-25s category . Here’s his story.

Peter Forrest, 20, was bullied at school, faced anger management issues and is dyslexic. He had reached the point of near exclusion and at the age of 15 faced a very uncertain future. At this critical juncture, Peter was offered the prospect of working with Dream Achievers, a charity providing young people the opportunity to work outdoors with canal boats. Through this organisation and Peter’s own dedication, enthusiasm and hard work he turned his life around.

Peter volunteered for one day per week,on the condition he completed his schooling. He did this and despite his difficulties gained 4 GCSE’s.

After leaving school he opted to continue with Dream Achievers and within a short space of time his involvement and responsibilities grew. By the age of 17, Peter became the youngest person within the organisation to gain a National Qualification in Boat Management. His confidence and sense of purpose increased and he was soon volunteering to spend 18 months on an environmental project in Finland.

Emboldened by his Finnish experiences, Peter returned to Dream Achievers and continued to add to his impressive list of accomplishments. His natural leadership abilities led to him captaining a boat at a three day canal festival. He assembled and organised the entire crew and sailed in conjunction with 39 other boats, in front of a crowd of 10,000.

Overcoming previous difficulties speaking in public, Peter participated at various conferences. At an event in Naples, gathered to look at ways of combating truancy, Peter’s presentation received a standing ovation from the 150 delegates. In the UK, Peter spoke at a multi agency conference on behalf of a pupil whom he mentored, and who like Peter a year earlier, was facing the prospect of expulsion from school. Indeed it was the very same conference where Peter’s own case had been heard.

Peter now skippers a boat providing homeless people with skills through environmental and conservation work. As if that wasn’t enough he has taken sole charge for preparing a business case to take a group of younger volunteers on a week’s residential training and research course. To get the project off the ground, he is working hard to secure external funding for the venture. Peter’s impact on the project and the community in general has been considerable. He has visited other Community Boat projects increasing the profile of Dream Achievers and hosted visitors from the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and Chair of the National Youth Justice Board.

Peter’s story is an inspirational one and through his outstanding achievements he provides many of the young people he now works with a great example.

His own remarkable development is perhaps best summed up by his nominator Trevor Roberts:

“Peter has matured into a confident, responsible and caring individual. He displays natural leadership skills and is popular with older and younger volunteers, trainees and staff”.