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NEWS • VIEWS • INFORMATION • ADVICE


Celebrating Young People

Dedication, hard work and commitment shown by young people from across the UK to support and improve their communities has been recognised at an awards ceremony.

The Philip Lawrence Awards were established in memory of the headteacher who was murdered outside his school in 1995 after going to the aid of a pupil who was being attacked by a gang.

Mr Lawrence believed in the potential and ability of young people to make a positive change to the world around them, a view shared by the NASUWT, a long-time supporter of the Awards which were established in 1997 by Mr Lawrence’s widow Frances.

This year’s ceremony, which was held in London, was hosted by broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald and addressed by Frances Lawrence and Baroness Newlove, who became a campaigner for safer neighbourhoods after her husband Gary was murdered outside his house after confronting a group of youths vandalising his car.

The ceremony recognises the diverse but equally impressive achievements of a range of youth groups in working to build stronger communities in their neighbourhoods. The 2010 winners were:

Aik Saath – Translating as ‘Together As One’ Aik Saath works to build understanding between the Asian communities of Slough through recruiting young people to act as peer mentors.
Aldbourne CAN – Aldbourne Youth Council, based in Wiltshire, has transformed its village’s old public toilets into a community Internet café, which is bringing different generations together and fostering a deeper sense of community engagement.
Back to the Future – Young people in Carrickfergus have created a film examining the paramilitary and loyalist history of their estate to encourage greater inclusion and equality.
Bikes2Gambia – Members of Hackney’s Volunteer Police Cadets have created a project repairing old bicycles to send to Gambian orphanages as part of their work to develop positive activities for young people locally.
Forsythia Youth Project [bottom picture] – The creation of a community gym and volunteer work are just some of the activities being undertaken by members of the Youth Project, based in Merthyr Tydfil, to improve their community.
Haggeye [top left] – Haggeye is a forum for blind and partially sighted young people across Scotland and its members are actively involved in campaigning for greater equality and accessibility.
Lives Not Knives [top right] – Young people from Croydon who have had friends killed or injured as a result of knife crime are working to educate other young people of the dangers.
Sw!tch ID – Challenging preconceptions about young people, this Dagenham-based group have organised positive activities such as litterpicking flashmobs, family fun days and a community art show.

A special commendation was also awarded to:

Trick or Treat – Young people in Wakefield have responded to the murder of a local teenager by taking their message of the dangers of violent crime into schools.

The NASUWT congratulates all the 2010 winners for their commitment to improving their communities and overturning the stereotypes about young people.

Further details about the Awards, including profiles of the 2010 winners, are available at www.philiplawrenceawards.net


WORLD AIDS DAY

The critical role employers and workplaces can make to addressing HIV and AIDS was debated as the NASUWT marked World AIDS Day.

An important recommendation was passed in June 2010 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) calling on world leaders to work together to develop new work-based programmes of HIV/AIDS education, treatment, care and support.

The resolution reflects the important role that the ILO argues work can play in supporting access to treatment and prevention programmes for employees, as well as reinforcing the right of all workers affected by HIV/AIDS not to be discriminated against in the workplace.

The NASUWT attended a seminar organised by the TUC on World AIDS Day, at which challenges facing workers with HIV/AIDS were starkly highlighted by Esther Ogunfowora, Co-ordinator of the HIV/AIDS Workplace Initiative, a joint project being run by the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The project links up workplaces to help improve HIV testing rates and reduce discrimination. In Nigeria workers are often sacked for being HIV positive, and the scheme aims to improve the capacity of trade unions to challenge such inequalities.

The event also heard from a number of other speakers, including Mark Lazarowicz MP, Shadow Minister for International Development, who emphasised the strain the global financial crisis is putting on resources to tackle the spread of the disease.

The NASUWT will continue to work through the TUC to take forward the ILO recommendation and ensure that it is implemented and acted upon in workplaces in the UK and abroad.