Young Greenwich, the name for the youth services across the Royal Borough of Greenwich, delivered by Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT), held its first ever Young Greenwich Awards on Wednesday 11 September.
Hosted by Marketing & Outreach Officer Shade Thompson & Partnerships Manager Matt Horne, the event took place at IKEA Greenwich, with the purpose of celebrating the young people’s achievements in the past year. The winners of the awards were a mixture of young people from Young Greenwich’s 4 main youth hubs, Woolwich Common, Valley Central, Avery Hill and Hawksmoor Youth Hub.
The night began with a speech from CACT’s Director of Youth, Health & Inclusion, Charlie Macdonald, who said:
“We really believe that youth work is the key to supporting our young people to achieve their best. I would like to thank the Royal Borough of Greenwich for supporting that.”
The awards celebrated young people in 4 categories, 2 which were nationally accredited and 2 which were exclusive to Young Greenwich. The categories were:
1. Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE)
2. Jack Petchey Award
3. Attendee of the Year
4. Volunteer of the Year
The young people received their certificates and awards on stagefrom Charlton Athletic defender Ben Purrington, who also took part in the DofE himself previouly. The night also included some music for entertainment, food and refreshments and a break for people to mingle with each other in. As attendees were present from all four hubs, it was a good opportunity to meet new people.
Supported by staff at CACT, the event was led by Marketing & Outreach Officer, Shade who said:
“After weeks of planning, it was great to see the awards come together beautifully, but nothing compared to seeing the smiles in the young people’s faces and how proud their friends and families were.”
The night finished with a fantastic speech from one of the young people from Woolwich Common Youth Hub, Finley, who had received his DofE award. In his speech about his experiences and opportunities, he said:
“There’s so much more to gain from the experiences as a whole. For me it was a gateway to other opportunities with the youth centre like going to France; it was the first time I had been and it was really enjoyable.”
Young Greenwich & CACT would like to congratulate all the young people for their accomplishments and look forward to next year’s award.
Click here to see the Facebook album from the night.