The Archbishop of York Youth Trust today announced that it has further extended its Young Leaders Award with 315 schools having signed up to the Award since its launch.

The Archbishop of York said:

“Young people have the potential to change our society for the better and my Young Leaders Award is helping them to do it.  Up and down the North of England these young leaders are using their creativity, passion and energy to transform their communities and be the change they want to see.”

Church Walk Primary CE Primary School, Cumbria recently completed the KS2 Award with Year 4 and 5 pupils.  They opted to complete a community based project to improve the local area as part of their Award. The pupils wrote to South Lakeland District Council and asked if they could put more litter bins and signs reminding people to pick up litter and clean up dog fouling. The council visited the class and informed them that they would add signs and bins to the Church yard and area around school. The local Police Community Support Officer heard about the children’s letter and invited them to paint a mural on the garage. They held a competition in school and a design was chosen to be painted on the wall.

Susan Davies, Headteacher at Church Walk Primary said

“The message of the Archbishop of York’s Young Leader’s Award is to “Be the change that you want to see”. By writing the letter, the children have realized that if they want something to change, they can do something about it. I am very proud of the children and what they have managed to achieve. The mural will be a lasting reminder of all of their hard work.”

Here’s a few things that young leaders have said themselves about taking part in the Award at Key Stage 3 and 4:

“I have learned that going that bit further goes a long way for someone else.” “Not everything is about me. If you work together you can make a huge difference.”

“I have gained confidence, am now a better decision maker, and am able to work well under pressure with all sorts of people. It has developed my compassion and interpersonal skills and I am now far more organised. I am a better listener and have learnt new ways of leading a team towards the best possible outcome.”