YMCA Lincolnshire calls on community to vote for its ‘Young Leader’ ahead of prestigious national youth awards ceremony

YMCA Lincolnshire is asking local people to vote for one of its inspiring young people ahead of a prestigious national youth awards ceremony hosted this autumn by TV presenter, June Sarpong MBE.

The local youth charity, which has operated throughout the county for the past 147 years, has nominated YMCA young person, Rosie Marrows, as Young Leader of the Year in Youth Matters Awards 2016.

Youth Matters is YMCA’s national awards programme that has been an integral part of the charity’s calendar since 2009.

Rosie is up against four other young people from across the country within her award category. Other award categories include YMCA of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year and Young Worker of the Year.

Rosie has been entered for the award because of her progress within and support of all projects she has been involved with; she has gone from using the centre as a youth member to being a fun and engaging volunteer.

She joined the theatre school as an 11-year-old girl, very shy and reserved but over the years has grown into a significant leadership role. Rosie is never late, never disrespectful and always super helpful. For the past two years she has been volunteering for our younger theatre school group (ages four to seven-years-old), called Little Stars. She is always here despite being a sociable teenage girl who is not only dealing with life’s trials and tribulations but also exam pressures, extracurricular activities and family.

Rosie volunteers for YMCA at other times as well. She has run karaoke nights, science workshops, music groups and been one of the charity’s best helpers. She also has a keen eye for noticing when young people are not in the best place in their life. She communicates any problems to YMCA and supports the young people through difficult times.

Rosie’s development over the past five years has been outstanding. She is by no means the most confident young person but everyone at YMCA has been blown away by her continued involvement within the organisation. She is a great role model for younger children and sets a great example to her peers. She is not super human and at times life has got her down. But she deals with it and more importantly she never lets it affect her involvement with the young people. Rosie will be turning 16 in October. Thanks to the way she has been involved in the showroom she is in a position to become a paid member of staff and we couldn’t be more proud of her!

Voting starts online at midnight on Thursday 4 August and runs until midnight on Monday 15 August. Votes cast by the public will be combined with judges’ choices and the top three nominees will be announced in September. All three will attend the finals night at the exclusive venue 8 Northumberland Avenue, in central London, where the winner will be announced.

Rosie said: “I am really excited to be nominated for such a significant award and to have reached this stage of the process.

“My life has changed so much since getting involved with YMCA and I hope everyone will support me and vote. To make it through to the final judging panel would be incredible.”

Youth Worker, Abigail Wright, described how ‘Rosie is always willing to go out of her way for others, doing so with a smile on her face. She’s a phenomenal asset and an inspiring young lady.’

Youth Matters celebrates the outstanding skills and achievements of young people from across the country. It also recognises the vital work that YMCAs deliver every day to help transform the lives of young people and give them a brighter future.

The Young Leader of the Year Award recognises a young person for their ability to make a real difference in their YMCA by bringing about positive change, working with vision and inspiring others.

Vote for Young Leader of the Year at www.ymca.org.uk/awards. Follow Youth Matters on Twitter or receive updates at #YMA16.

For more information on Youth Matters, visit www.ymca.org.uk/awards. For more information on YMCA Lincolnshire, visit www.lincsymca.co.uk.