East regional winners
Congratulations to the following East regional award winners!
Best new volunteer
Zoe Burden
Zoe, 17, from Suffolk, volunteers for Brighter Futures - taking children who are in care out on day-trips and giving them the opportunity to socialise. This is a subject that is very close to Zoe’s heart as she is currently living in supported lodgings and has herself been in care for the last three years.
Overall commitment to volunteering
Megan Lindsay
Community-spirited Megan, 17, from Hertfordshire has been volunteering since she was 14. She not only volunteers with the Brownies, but also assists in two primary schools, which includes helping out with the reading groups.
On top of this, Megan is a young carer for her brother Alex who has severe breathing difficulties and a muscular disability which requires him to be on oxygen at all times. Megan has seen the difference volunteers have made to her brother, by giving him some independence, which in turn inspires her to continue with her own volunteering. She describes what she does as ‘a big passion in her life’.
Youth worker
Barry Clark
Barry has spent the last 40 years working for Brakes Manor Youth Centre in Hatfield. Barry manages volunteers at the centre, providing a variety of volunteering activities for young people depending on their interests.
Now 68, he still has the same enthusiasm for helping young people to achieve their best as he did four decades ago. Barry has run countless youth social action projects, including a National Citizen Service (NCS) project this year and is well known in the community for providing a safe space where young people can come for support and encouragement
National Citizen Service (NCS)
NCS Stevenage
The NCS Stevenage team chose to create an inter-generational activity for their social action project. The team helped older people in their community who were lonely or isolated by building better understanding between themselves and younger people.
The team's intergenerational social action project helped create new links between younger and older people. They arranged several tea dances and befriending activities, where elderly people were offered some company and a chance to socialise with younger people, and the team were able to learn about the area’s past.
About NCS:
NCS aims to promote a more cohesive, responsible and engaged society by bringing young people from different backgrounds together to make a difference in their communities. It is a voluntary programme for 16-year-olds which focuses on their personal and social development. It includes challenging activities, from away-from-home residential experiences to a self-designed social action project.
Team activity
The Team (teen talk )
‘The Team’ are a group of young volunteers determined to change the negative perception of young people in their area. In the two years they have been working together, the group has been involved in community projects ranging from running Santa’s Grottos for local children, to creating a float to promote positive views about young people at the town’s annual Guy Falkes parade.
As well as taking part in volunteering activities for their community, they recently organised a 'hoodie festival' to encourage greater understanding between different generations.
Bringing communities together
Joanna Mayes
Joanna Mayes volunteers for NACRO as a football coach. She feels that volunteering has helped her along her road to recovery from quite a traumatic time in her life. At a time when she didn't know how to help herself, finding that she could still help others came as a welcome surprise to her.
Joanna is deeply committed to volunteering; completing over 4500 hours of voluntary work in the five years. She coaches a number of football teams and also assists in running a Friday night group for girls called ‘Girls Zone’. This is a place where young girls can talk about issues that impact on them.