10-11:Inside Pages 11/12/08 15:39 Page 1
Do you know a deserving
young person?
It’s not easy being young. Coping with the pressures of school,
exams and growing up can be hard. And to make things worse
there is often a perception that teens just spend their time
hanging around the streets and causing a nuisance.
Fed up with these kinds of negative images, a group of young
people have set out to celebrate the good work of other young
people across Bournemouth and Poole. After successfully bidding
for some government money, a glittering red carpet-style awards
ceremony will take place at the BIC on 18 February.
But they need your help. Nominations for deserving young people
are needed. Do you know someone who has made a positive
contribution to their school, youth group or local community?
The Daily Echo is supporting the event and nomination forms have
been printed in the paper, if you haven’t seen a copy don’t worry.
Additional nomination forms are available from youth centres and
you can telephone the Youth Service on 01202 456208, or email
bys@bournemouth.gov.uk to request a copy. Be quick, the closing
deadline is Friday 16 January.
Councillor Ted Taylor, Champion for Children and Young People,
said: “The event is being organised by young people for young
people, and the experience will provide them with some
invaluable skills which will really support their development. They
are working on all stages of the event, from deciding the award
categories and choosing the format of the awards, through to
helping to judge the nominations and deciding the winners.”
William is 19. He’s been volunteering at youth centres in both
Will’s story
Muscliff and at Henry Brown. Because of his experiences and his
work with the youth service he was asked to join the group arranging
the celebration evening.
Will said: “I wanted to volunteer for the youth service because I had
a difficult time when I was younger. I was bullied for the majority of
my school life, lost confidence and felt bad about myself. Because of
this I left school without any GCSEs.
“I received a lot of support by going to my local youth centre. At
first I found it difficult meeting and talking to new people. But
Pippa, my youth worker, really helped me and I slowly built my
confidence back up. I was given responsibilities and this really
helped me. I then felt confident enough to become part of a Prince’s
Trust training project. I learnt a range of new skills such as chain saw
maintenance, tractor driving, and gained a First Aid Certificate.
“I’m really pleased that I can now use my experiences in a positive
way and that I can be involved in projects such as the celebration
evening. It’s going to be really good to be able to showcase the good
work, achievements and bravery of local young people.”
“I’m really pleased that I can now use my
experiences in a positive way...” - Will
Find out more about Bournemouth Youth Service at:
www.offthestreets.co.uk
10
YOUTH ZONE
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32