London students win youth mentoring awards

EMBARGO: 1800 TUESDAY 17 JULY 2018

Students from across London have been celebrating success at the Power2 Awards 2018.

The pioneering youth charity held its annual graduation ceremony on Tuesday 17 July at the London offices of Japanese financial services group, Nomura.

It also marked a milestone as more than 10,000 young people have now participated in their Teens and Toddlers programme.

This programme empowers young people who struggle at school by pairing them as mentors to children in local nurseries. They receive coaching from qualified youth workers, get life skills training and work experience.

“Our programme is the only one of its kind in England”, said Joanne Hay, Power2’s Chief Executive.

“Many of the 10,000 young people we’ve helped were students contending with learning difficulties and self-esteem obstacles. Our work is all about empowering the futures of these young people and others who are disengaged and disadvantaged.”

Special awards were presented to students from the London Boroughs of Ealing, Hackney and Newham, while Oak Wood School in Hillingdon won the Power2 Partnership award.

THE 2018 AWARD WINNERS IN DETAIL

1. ‘Weil’ Young Mentor of the Year 2018

Greenford High School student, Annabelle Esparon-Bakas, is the ‘Weil’ Young Mentor of the Year for 2018.

13-year-old Annabelle was praised for her commitment to the Teens and Toddlers programme, in which young people become mentors to children at local nursery schools.

Power2’s Programme Lead, Heather Johnson, said

“Annabelle showed great determination during her weekly sessions. She was quite shy when we started but worked through being out of her comfort zone. In the beginning, the toddler was intolerant of other children and bad at sharing. Annabelle patiently helped her develop more empathy and to communicate more calmly. It was inspiring to see them both grow in confidence and understanding."

Lou Grimley, Assistant Head and Child Protection Officer, at Greenford High School said

“We recommended Annabelle for Teens and Toddlers as we felt she needed a confidence boost after a tough year – and how it has worked! She has grown hugely in confidence and has been an asset to the group. We are very proud of her as a school!”

2. ‘Nomura’ Group of the Year 2018

Newham’s Rokeby School have been named the ‘Nomura’ Group of the Year for 2018.

This award goes to the group which shows the greatest engagement with the Teens and Toddlers programme.

Filippo Striano, Rickardo White, Alexandru Grama, Mohamed Kabba, Bilal Hayat, Saifudin Harris and Nahid Ali who are all 14 years old were praised for their commitment.

Power2’s Programme Lead, Dawn Kendall, said

“ At the beginning of the programme, the group were less focused and showed limited optimism. However, they’ve now seen such positive results and believe that they can excel and inspire others. Two members of the group have been honoured with prefect and drama leadership badges. These proud individuals are setting great examples for others in the school. I am delighted to say, receiving negative behaviour points have now become a distant memory. ”

Nahid said “Teens and Toddlers has made me more careful of what I say and of my actions during school and social life” His classmate, Rickardo agreed: “I’ve learnt how to use my interpersonal skills, my listening has improved”

Nomura, the Japanese financial services group, hosted the ceremony and also sponsored the Group of the Year Award. Their Head of Community Affairs, EMEA, Naomi Matthams said:

“Nomura are delighted to host the graduation ceremony and help Power2 celebrate such an incredible achievement through the Teens and Toddlers programme. We have supported the charity for a number of years and are so pleased that our contribution has helped reach this milestone and that more than 10,000 young people have now had this special opportunity”

3. Power2 Partnership Award 2018

Oak Wood School, Hillingdon, has won the Power2 Partnership Award 2018.

The prize was awarded to the school which showed the greatest collaboration and commitment to the pioneering Teens and Toddlers programme.

Formerly Abbotsfield School, Oak Wood was founded as a foundation school in 2017. It provided a dedicated programme assistant, Emma Sullivan, to work alongside the Power2 team.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Oak Wood School,” said Power2 Programme Lead, Heather Johnson.

“They’re very deserving of the Power2 Partnership of the Year Award. Their forward planning and consistency is outstanding, ensuring they always address the small but vital details that make such a difference to the quality of the programme.”

4. ‘CVC’ Young Leader of the Year Award

Hackney’s 17-year-old Amrit Kaur-Pottiwal has been named the CVC Young Leader 2018.

The award recognised Amrit’s achievements engaging with corporate partners and other youth organisations during her time on Power2’s Young Leaders programme.

Young Leaders is a peer support network for graduates of Power2's Teens and Toddlers programme. It builds resilience and self esteem through workshops and challenges. And helps to develop ‘life skills’ such as teamworking, financial management and problem solving to take the young people beyond school.

Amrit, a former pupil at Clapton Girls’ Academy, was selected for her outstanding contribution and participation in the Young Leaders programme.

Power2’s Programme Development Manager, Will Cole, said

“The Young Leaders Programme focuses on all aspects of development. The programme facilitates opportunities that enable our members to choose their pathway to success. It is always a pleasure when you witness a young person taking control of their lives and choosing to succeed, which is why no one is more deserving of this award than Amrit. Her determination to not only do better but be better is incredible.”

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For enquiries and for photos of the event and quotations from the winners please contact Robin Lanfear on 07403 159097 or email press@power2.org

ABOUT POWER2

Power2 is a leading youth development charity working with children and young people in disadvantaged areas.

The charity, formerly known as Teens and Toddlers, was founded in 2001. It helps young people develop the essential skills and confidence they need to succeed at school, at work and in their communities.

Across London and the South East in 2018, the charity has reached more than 600 young people and children in more than 20 local authorities. And since it was founded, the total reached is 6500 young people and children in more than 30 local authorities in this region.

Nationwide to date, the charity has worked with more than 22,000 young people and children in more than 50 local authorities in the UK.

More information and case studies are available at: www.power2.org

Power2 is a UK Registered Charity. Charity Number: 1099782.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Please note this story has a strict embargo until 1800 on Tuesday 17 July as the award winners do not yet know about their success.

Also, students participate in Power2's programmes for many reasons. Our primary goal is to allow each student to reach their full potential. While some of the students may be disengaged from school and come from disadvantaged backgrounds this is not always the case. We request that you take care not to label any young people you feature in your content with general terms but allow them to be seen as individuals with their own unique challenges. Thank you.