Inspirational young people from across the North East of England were recognised for their positive work in the community at an awards ceremony last week. Now in their fifth year, the PoSBO (Positive Social Behaviour Order) Awards celebrate and recognise the contribution young people make to the lives of others across the North East region.
The awards are hosted annually by Truth about Youth which is funded by The Co-operative Foundation and run in partnership with Youth Focus: North East, to challenge and change the widespread negative perceptions of young people.
The Award Winners:
The winners of the Best Youth Project Award
Five young people from Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project picked up the prestigious Best Youth Project Award. The group, aged between 18-23 years old, have battled through disabilities both physical and mental to successfully achieve their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The Young Volunteer Award was won by 16-year-old Tammi Berresford for her peer support role with Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project (CVYP), supporting youngsters with a range of disabilities including autism and Down’s syndrome.
Tammi Berresford,
winner of the Young Volunteer Award
Tammi said:
“It was really nice to be up for the award in the first place, let alone win it. I feel really proud and chuffed! I’d like to thank everyone at CVYP for giving me the chance to be involved.”
Other awards handed out on the night included:
- Young Voice Award – won by 15-year-old Rebecca Moore from North Shields for her work as a Member of Youth Parliament, helping to raise awareness of mental health issues and leading a group of young people, who developed mental health education packs for schools
- Carer of the Year Award – won by 18-year-old Kerry Owen from South East Northumberland for her volunteer work with CVYP supporting other young carers and for also leading on an ITV Fixers project to produce a DVD sharing her own story and raising awareness of the needs of young carers
- Intergenerational Award – won by Northumbria Students’ Union IT Classes, helping older people to reconnect with friends and relatives using the internet, and reducing social isolation
- Best in School Award – won by St Hild’s Green Power Electric Racing Cars – a group of 14-16 year olds form Hartlepool who developed a racing car from scratch, advancing their engineering skills and knowledge
- Digital Media Award – won by 8ACR Macmillan Academy, a group of 12-13 year olds from Middlesbrough who produced an animated film, Nightmare on Flood Street, looking at how climate change and flooding could affect their local community in the future.
Truth About Youth
Newcastle is one of seven cities in the UK which has received funding from The Co-operative Foundation, the grant-making arm of The Co-operative Group, to tackle the negative images of young people through its Truth about Youth programme. Through this programme, Youth Focus: North East are working hard alongside The Co-operative Foundation to support young people by helping to challenge and change the widespread negative perceptions of young people. The Truth about Youth programme inspires young people across Britain to undergo their own revolutions to change their world for the better.
For more information please visit the Youth Focus: North East website: www.youthfocusne.org.uk
