YMCA's support for excluded young people highlighted in national awards

YMCA Humber is asking local people to give its project their backing ahead of a prestigious national youth awards ceremony hosted this autumn by business woman, Sky presenter and BBC's The Apprentice winner, Michelle Dewberry.

The local youth charity, which has operated in the Humber Region for the past 135 years has seen its Orchard Project programme shortlisted as YMCA Training & Education Project of the Year in Youth Matters Awards 2017.

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

YMCA Humber is up against four other schemes within its award category. Other award categories include YMCA of the Year, Young Achiever of the Year, Young Leader of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year, Young Worker of the Year and Young Campaigner of the Year.

They have been entered for the award because of its support of young people who have been excluded from mainstream education.

Voting starts online at midnight on Monday 14 August and runs until midnight on Friday 25 August. Votes cast by the public will be combined with judges’ choices and the three finalists will be announced on 29 August. All the finalists will attend the ceremony at the exclusive venue 8 Northumberland Avenue, in central London, where the winner will be announced.

Helen Pine, Services Director of YMCA Humber, said: “We are overjoyed and excited to be nominated for such a significant award and to have reached this stage of the process.

“We hope everyone in the local community will vote for us as making it through to the final judging panel would be incredible.”

Linda Clark is YMCA Humber’s Community Development Manager, she said:

“In June 2016, YMCA Humber was commissioned to pilot a new intervention aimed at supporting young people who had been excluded from mainstream primary education.

“Trialling a model of interventions from universal preventative education to intensive one to one support with young people and their families, the pilot focussed on improving young people’s resilience, promoting early action to address behaviour issues and supporting needs that may jeopardise their educational attainment.

“Working with a small group of only seven young people who were transitioning from Year 6 at an alternative education provision into mainstream secondary school, the programme proved highly successful.

“Young people attended 83 out of the available 112 weeks in mainstream education and six out of seven young people successfully remained in mainstream education for the duration of the planned project period.

“Following on from the pilot’s success the I’m Possible model of working was developed to provide support for young people before, during and after exclusion from mainstream education.

“Thanks to the success of the initial pilot, the I’m Possible project continues to grow and now works with a group of young people to complete preventative work as well as continuing to provide support for re-integration.”

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 YMCA Training & Education Project of the Year Award recognises different YMCAs that have delivered innovative and inspiring projects that has had a tangible and positive impact on young people and/or the wider community.

Vote in Youth Matters at www.ymca.org.uk/awards. Follow YMCA Humber on Twitter and join the conversation using #YMA17.

For more information on Youth Matters, visit www.ymca.org.uk/awards. For more information on YMCA Humber, visit www.ymca-humber.com