Learners from Bradford Academy came along to Bishopthorpe Palace today to receive their Young Leaders Awards from the Archbishop of York having completed the Key Stage 3 programme this year.

The Young Leaders undertook action projects for the Award in their bid to ‘be the change they want to see’ for their communities. These included regularly attending a drop-in centre known as GEMs for older residents of their local area where they helped to deliver activities such as Ukelele lessons, chair aerobics and indoor bowls.

The Young Leaders completed the Awards with e:merge, a youth-based charity in Bradford. The Coordinator at e:merge, Matt Smith said

“These Young Leaders have gone way beyond our expectations by doing some amazing personal volunteering and group action. We are so proud of them”

One Young Leader said

“The Young Leaders Award has taught me that it doesn’t matter what background you come from, what matters is community. I want to be a paramedic when I’m older so I’ve been volunteering for the St John’s Ambulance as my personal volunteering challenge. I’ve been doing it with my mum, it’s been great.”

Julia Robertson, the Young Leaders Award Manager said:

“These Young Leaders are proof of what can be done by young people who want to make a difference in the world. We are finding our Awards are helping learners who often struggle with mainstream education and we’re so proud of everything they have achieved.”

About e:merge

http://www.emergeonline.org.uk/

e:merge is a christian charity that has undertaken youth work since 1994 in the most segregated, deprived and broken wards of Bradford. Their goal is to reach the most marginalised and enable them to become part of a community within which they can thrive, develop and realise their potential. They do this by engaging with young people in a way and place appropriate for them.

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