The achievements of young people and youth providers in Liverpool have been celebrated at a special awards ceremony.
Liverpool City Council teamed up with housing associations Cobalt Housing, LHT, Plus Dane Housing, Riverside and South Liverpool Homes to recognise young people in the city that have gone the extra mile and made a real difference to others.
The competition was so tough that the judges couldn’t call just one winner for Inspirational Young Person of the Year so they awarded the prize jointly to Ethan Sheen and Mollie Farley.
Ethan (pictured left with Lord mayor, Councillor T
ony Concepcion) was recognised for his voluntary work in The Hub while Mollie was recognised for her involvement in the Priority Youth Detached Project for over three years.
Mollie (pictured right)said: “I didn’t think at first that the things that gave me the opportunity to win this award was a big deal. I think it’s our right to give back and I am proud of myself for winning this because my goal is to inspire younger and older people to give more and I will keep raising money and helping for as long as people need it.”
Councillor Steve Munby, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “Like many local authorities, we have suffered severe budget cuts, putting many services under threat, including youth provision.
“To mitigate the impact of these cuts, we have joined forces with the not-for-profit sector to help maintain essential services. By pooling our expertise and resources with housing associations across the city, we’ve been able to maximise opportunities for young people by setting up a number of youth consortiums.
“These awards aim to recognise the positive impact of these consortiums and the achievements of the young people who have contributed to them.”
Sophie Heneghan, community engagement officer for Riverside, which heads up the Liverpool East Youth Consortium, added: “All too often young people are given a bad name, which is completely at odds with our experience. So we were delighted to be able to support these awards which celebrate the valuable contribution young people make to their community.”
Catherine Simmons, team leader for LHT, which leads on nine youth consortiums in the city and has helped sponsor the celebration event, added: “Over the past year, we have witnessed some real changes in young people’s lives and met some really inspirational youths. Although these are challenging times in terms of funding, it shows what can be achieved when housing associations, Liverpool City Council, youth providers and young people work together. These achievements are something we can all be proud of.”
Other winners
Reducing crime: Riverside and Princes Park Detached
Reducing NEET: SEEDS
Strengthening Families and Communities: Croxteth Gems (pictured above with Cllr Munby and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann O’Byrne)
Wellbeing and resilience: Liverpool Targeted Services for Young People – volunteer mentors programme.
Improving Mental and Emotional Health: GYRO
Improving Physical Health: Sarah Hughes Priority Youth Detached Team and Danny Graham
Young Volunteer of the Year: James Jenkins Burke
