The Archbishop of York Youth Trust is delighted to announce that, since the launch of the Young Leaders Awards in 2011, 280 schools have engaged with its Young Leaders Award. Over 25 grants amounting to more than £100,000 have also been awarded through the Youth Trust for social action projects since the Trust began.

26,021 young people across the North of England have learned about leadership and serving others by completing the Awards offered at key stages 2, 3 and 4.  Since January 2015, 84 schools have completed the Award and 5,015 young people, aged 8 to 18, have received their certificates to mark their achievements.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said:  “It is wonderful to see how my Youth Trust is enabling so many young people to be the change they want to see. Behind the impressive figures are thousands of stories of change, both in the lives of the young people and those who they succeed to reach. I continue to pray for God’s power to be in our schools and communities and praise God for acts of practical help which have shown His love at work.”

Dan Finn, Director of the Youth Trust said: “The response from schools has been fantastic to the resources we have put together for the Awards. We are so excited to see the results of the projects, initiated by the young people themselves. These include thousands of volunteering hours in the form of local community projects, raising money for charities and serving others, their classrooms, their school and their communities.  Alongside this, we’ve been able to financially support a number of pioneering youth projects this year who have been reaching out to young people and empowering them to engage with their communities and ‘be the change they want to see’.

Jon Norden, Principal at Abbey Grange Church of England Academy said: “We’re delighted with the impact that the Young Leaders Award has had on all our students in Abbey Grange C of E Academy. Not only have they grown in confidence, leadership and character, but through the programme they have been given the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our school and local community through their commitment to volunteering and community action. The award helps to underpin our enrichment curriculum with its aim of developing rounded and grounded individuals who are better able to make a positive contribution to society.”