Young Good Citizen Awards
Do You Know A Young Person Who Makes A Difference?
Do you know somone who can follow in the footsteps of 2009 winners Ryan Allen (left) and Rory McGhie, pictured with Chief Constable Paul West.
West Mercia Police is keen to hear about young people making a difference in their communities as it begins the search for the Young Good Citizen of 2010. Nominations for this year's awards open on Wednesday 3 March.
First introduced in 1987, the selection process for the 2010 Young Good Citizen Awards has been changed to widen the search for young people aged 18 or under who have displayed immense community spirit over the last 12 months.
Each of the force's 145 local policing teams will nominate a young person from their area to be hailed as a Young Good Citizen and to be considered for selection for the final awards evening in October. Teachers, group leaders and members of the public are also being asked to nominate young people, and forms have been sent to primary and secondary schools and youth groups across the force area.
The closing date for nominations is Saturday 31 July.
All those nominated will receive a Young Good Citizen Certificate from their Local Policing Team and 10 of the nominees will be chosen to go forward to a special awards ceremony at Force Headquarters, Hindlip Hall, near Worcester, in October.
At a gala evening hosted by Chief Constable Paul West, and in partnership with the High Sheriffs of Shropshire and Herefordshire and Worcestershire, one young person will be presented with the award for Young Good Citizen of the Year 2010, which comes with a bursary of £400 to support education, training or their efforts towards gaining employment. In addition, they will be able to nominate a charity to receive a gift of a further £100. The other short-listed nominees will each receive a specially commissioned certificate from the Chief Constable and the High Sheriffs, personally signed by them.
"These awards are given in recognition of young people making the difference in their communities. Too often our society focuses on the negative issues associated with young people, such as under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour, but the reality is that the positive contributions made by numerous young people far outweigh the problems caused by the few."
Chief Constable Paul West
If you know such a young person, why not nominate them for this year's award? We are particularly keen to hear about young people who have overcome challenges in their own lives and have still been able to make a difference to others in their community. If young people have worked together, small groups of no more than three may also be nominated.
Anyone interested in nominating a young person can download an entry form below or contact your local policing team who will have forms available. Once completed, return to the address detailed on the form no later than Saturday 31 July.
Chief Constable West, who has personally championed the awards, said: "These awards are given in recognition of young people making the difference in their communities. Too often our society focuses on the negative issues associated with young people, such as under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour, but the reality is that the positive contributions made by numerous young people far outweigh the problems caused by the few.
"To recognise this, for 2010 we have extended our Young Good Citizen scheme to raise more local awareness of those young people who go the extra mile to make a difference in their communities. We would particularly welcome nominations of young people who have overcome difficulties in their own lives to still go on and achieve and who all too often do not get the credit they deserve."
Download A Nomination Form
If you want to nominate a young person for the awards, download the form, print it off and complete and return to the address on the form:
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Completed forms must be returned by Saturday 31 July 2010.
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