Everyone at Create is feeling a little overwhelmed this week after we found out we’ve been shortlisted for three (three!) Children & Young People Now awards.
These are the Young Carers Award, the Youth Justice Award and the Youth Work Award. That the awards cover the work with three of our seven key participant groups reflects the high-quality of our workshops across the board. We couldn’t have delivered such well-received projects without the hard work of our staff, artists, community partners, supporters and funders, but most importantly our amazing participants!
The Young Carers Award is for the initiative that has done the most to support children, young people or young adults up to 25 who care for a family member or friend with an illness, disability, mental health problem or addiction. This includes support to meet carers’ educational, health, social and emotional needs; helping carers who have previously been unidentified by services; and working with families to reduce inappropriate levels of caring.
The Youth Justice Award is for the initiative that has made the biggest contribution to improving the life chances of young offenders, or those at risk of offending or reoffending. Entries are invited from local authorities, youth offending teams and youth services, as well as voluntary organisations and individual projects.
The Youth Work Award is for the initiative that has done the most to promote young people’s personal development and help them achieve their potential through youth work, informal education and participation in positive activities, especially among disadvantaged or excluded groups.
Ravi Chandiramani, Editor-in-chief of Children & Young People Now, said: “The Children & Young People Now Awards have become the gold standard for everyone working with children, young people and families. Now in their twelfth year, these awards provide a great source of pride and recognition for all those who strive day in, day out, to improve the lives of others. They offer an opportunity to raise the profile of projects and initiatives to funders and the general public.
“And they present a tremendous showcase of learning and best practice from across the country that can be an inspiration to all. The awards recognise initiatives from the public, private and voluntary sector that work with children and young people from birth to adolescence as well as their families. Initiatives might be aimed at all children and families within a community or targeted at those who are the most vulnerable or disadvantaged. Crucially, entrants must be able to provide evidence that what they have done has had a positive impact on people’s lives.”
The Children & Young People Now Award Ceremony takes place on Wednesday 22 November – we’ll let you know how we get on!
Nicky Goulder, Founding Chief Executive
This article is from 2017.