Three projects and staff members have been shortlisted as semi-finalists for the 2021 YMCA England and Wales Youth Matters Awards, which are held every year in London to celebrate the amazing work of YMCAs across the country.
YMCA Norfolk Semi Finalists this year include:
- The E-Learning Service (Training and Education Project of the Year)
- Harriet King (Young Leader of the Year)
- The Family & Community Project (Family Work Project of the Year)
The E-Learning Service, which offers individually tailored provision for students based on their unique learning needs and ability levels across a wide spectrum, was nominated for the Education and Training Project of the year:
“This past year has been particularly challenging for young people who are on the margins, and their education can often suffer as a result. We are privileged to have had the opportunity to work with 175 young people this year, providing them with specialist education when they could so easily have lost all interest in their learning.” said Jamie Holland, E-Learning Service Principle.
The service specifically works with:
- Students not accessing mainstream education.
- Students excluded or at risk of exclusion.
- Those suffering physical health conditions.
- Those suffering from social, emotional or mental health conditions, including anxiety.
- Those with school attendance/refusing to attend school.
- Those dealing with challenging life circumstances.
- Students with ASD.
- Teenage mothers.
- Students travelling out of the county with their families.
In addition to the E-Learning Service’s nomination, Harriet King, Senior Marketing and Fundraising Officer, was nominated as Young Leader of the Year:
“With her can-do attitude and ability to tackle any task that came her way, Harriet was selected to be the Project Officer for the new £2m projects to deliver a 90 place nursery, Café and soft play along with HQ replacement.
Harriet quickly developed project management skills and negotiated her way through the role of being the internal link with the project. Working closely with the Senior Management team, she became very hands-on, ensuring actions were completed, decisions were made in a timely manner and keeping the project on track,” reads the nomination from Harriet’s colleagues.
YMCA Norfolk’s Family and Community Team were also shortlisted for the Family Work Project of the Year, after stepping up significantly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic delivering a wide range of therapeutic support, counselling and mental health services, continuing to work in family homes providing support and helping families with homeschooling.
The team have delivered over 7,000 hours of support through rapid response/return alone, supporting 393 families in crisis.
Additionally, they have worked hard to continue to house and support single parents in our Umbrella services, providing a safe and secure environment for their children providing additional support, food parcels, additional parenting support and ensuring the best opportunity to sustain change.
They have also offered both online, and face to face counselling to over 410 individual’s as well as mental health services for children/young people aged 4 -25, offering 75 1-1 sessions for children and 119 sessions with parents.
In order to reach the final, the E-Learning Service, Harriet and the Family and Community Team are asking the public and their supporters to vote using this link.
Voting closes on August 13th and the winners will be announced at the Youth Matters Awards in London on November 5th.