The Philip Lawrence Awards

From the North West of England

From Runcorn, Cheshire:

The Canal Boat Adventure Project: Nessie Club

I did not go to school for two years and have been homeless twice this year. The project has helped me get sorted and I have just returned from Ghana and intend to become a youth worker.
Claire, age 18yrs

Nessie Club; helps young people identify barriers to achievement and find ways to overcome them. Young people develop and manage all aspects of the project, meeting the needs of local young people and compensating for lack of opportunities or choice.The project runs workshops on drug abuse, anger management and debt. It has organised trips to the House of Commons, outdoor activities, European boat-based youth exchanges and volunteering opportunities as well as its own canal boat expeditions.

From Manchester:

RECLAIM

RECLAIM makes us aware of our daily life mistakes and helps youth stay true to their dreams. It unites many people from different areas. There are people here who care enough to tell us from experience that we need to try hard and live up to our aspirations.
Mohammed Ismaili

Reclaim; a mentoring programme which supports young people, challenging stereotypes and negvative behaviour, encouraging leadership and raising aspirations. As well as intensive mentoring, the project has been involved in regular events including: producing and recording a music video; training with the Fire Service for a day; business training and interview practice. They have drawn up an anti-violence manifesto and taken part in a youth crime inquiry with MPs at Westminster.

From Huyton, Central Knowsley:

THinK Focus Group

Working with THinK has given me a huge boost of confidence, I now believe that what I have to say matters and can really make a difference. It has given me a clear goal in life.
Charlotte Connelly

THinK Focus Group; produces information for young people on all areas of young people’s health, to reduce stigma and increase uptake of health services. It has produced various promotional materials. Working with neighbourhood wardens, youth workers and sports development officers THinK aims to reach all young people.

From the Midlands

From Dudley:

ChatBack Productions

For the first time in my school life appropriate and positive questions were raised about young people in care.

ChatBack Productions; breaks down barriers and dispels myths about 'being in care' by getting voices heard through a TV production company which tells it like it is. Six young people sourced funding to enable other young people to get involved in the weekly workshops. Together they planned, researched, produced, scripted, acted, filmed and edited an entire DVD – the fictional, but potentially real, stories of four young people, 'Fostering Reality'. They formed their own TV production company and now use the DVD to encourage action from children’s services departments to improve the lives of looked after children.

From Yorkshire and Humber

From Huddersfield:

Dare 2B Different

I have cerebral palsy and I am in a wheelchair. Before Dare 2B Different… I had no interests or hobbies. Now I get involved in lots of things and want to be a youth worker one day.
Tom Halton, Aged 18

Dare 2B Different; supports young people with disabilities to engage in learning, training and development opportunities and achieve their potential. Our projects aim to enable participants to gain confidence, self-esteem and new skills through supporting communities, e.g. raising funds to build a school for visually impaired children in India and running a weekly activity group for young people. Young people are involved in every aspect of the projects which range from making a local woodland path so wheelchair users can get involved in environmental projects, helping design an inclusive climbing wall - a UK first and participating in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gateway to Youth Work training.

From London

From Tottenham:

Value Life

Value Life has given me confidence and helped me to use my energy and time in a positive way. I love it.
Francion, Aged 15

Value Life; campaigns to raise awareness and re-educate the community about the dangers of gun and knife crime. They hold year round school assemblies, leading to the issue of gun and knife crime being included in the curriculum. In 2005 they held a march to raise the campaign’s profile. This is now an annual event, with 2,000 students involved in 2008. We gained media support by inviting David Lammy MP and Rev Nims Obunge to the march. Choice FM also came on board with support. Through working with other schools, peers and adult supporters our campaign is reaching the whole borough.

From Islington:

Young Muslim Voices: Listen Up Project

YMV has given me the opportunity to speak out against the issues affecting me and give something back to my community.
Sami Adam, Young Leader

YMV; voices issues through the use of sports, film, music and discussion. For example the 'Kick Islamaphobia' football tournament involved two local Mosques, Arsenal Football Club, Connexions and the police. They also run a schools arts project and a Bangladeshi film project. We select and lead on all of the projects through a steering group made up of YMV members and key decision makers. Some members are being trained to become participation/youth workers.

From Scotland

From Glasgow:

Knightswood Youth Theatre

We really enjoy doing drama, and winning the award has made it even better. People are noticing what we are doing in a good way. It makes us feel like we're doing something good, and makes us want to keep doing it.
Fatma Mahfoudh

Knightswood Youth Theatre; provides a space for young people meet and make theatre about the world that they live in. The project grew out of drama workshops, bringing together asylum seekers and refugees with young people from the local area. They made a play called 'The Circle of the Asylum Seeker' and now meets every week, tackling issues such as dawn raids, racism, alcoholism, divorce, bullying, and teenage suicide. They have performed at Refugee Week and the National Theatre of Scotland Exchange festival.

From Drongan, Ayrshire:

YOBS (Youth for Old Bike Scheme)

It’s great fun going on the bikes and it keeps us fit. Also it is good to build relationships with the older people in our community.
Shaun McCluskey, Aged 13

YOBS; helps bridge the generation gap by delivering fresh fruit and vegetables to older members of our community using bicycles and trailers. They visit older customers midweek to take their orders. On Saturdays, other volunteers help collect the fruit and veg from the shops and bag it up at the community centre before YOBS delivers the orders. They can use the bikes for themselves during the rest of the week. The deliveries are free, and they negotiated with local shops to get the food at cost price. In winter, they include bread, milk and newspapers in the deliveries on request.

Nominate Now!

Closing date: Monday 28th Sep 2009

If you would like to enter, fill in your details below and we'll email you a nomination form.

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