25 students from Harmonize Academy in Liverpool have taken part in the Key Stage 3 Young Leaders Award (YLA) this year. The YLA supports students to become confident and resilient leaders, who develop a growth mindset, become independent thinkers and good communicators, and who have compassion and care for their communities.

The Harmonize Academy Young Leaders took part in sessions exploring key leadership skills and character virtues, focusing on three topics – faith, hope and action. The KS3 Award also includes personal, school and community challenges, encouraging the Young Leaders to run social action projects that will support their local community.

In total an incredible 750 hours of social action time was completed by Harmonize Academy students. This included visiting a homeless shelter to donate food, sanitary products, clothes and blankets. According to the shelter’s management team, their visit made a huge difference to those the shelter supports.

Through their actions, these Young Leaders improved their teamwork and communication skills, as they had to learn to delegate and support each other while preparing for and carrying out their challenges.

“The students became more aware of how other people's experiences may be very different from their own and they began to appreciate the importance of helping the most vulnerable in our society, such as the homeless.”

Mrs Pasquet, Harmonize Academy

Elizabeth Howat, Director of the Young Leaders Award said:

“These Young Leaders have done a fantastic job of putting the leadership skills and character virtues into practice through their social action project. They have supported people who are desperately in need, demonstrating that young people have the power to change lives.”

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