London and the
South East Celebrate Success Awards 2009
The Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards
honour the achievements of disadvantaged young people supported by
The Trust who have succeeded against the odds, improved their
chances in life and had a positive impact on their local
community.
The dedicated support provided by Prince’s Trust volunteers,
partner organisations and staff throughout the North East was also
recognised at the ceremony.
Capgemini Young Achiever of the Year Award
Warren Christian
An incident at the age of 13 saw Warren being shot at for being
in ‘the wrong postcode’. Life rapidly deteriorated for him.
He saw gangsters as role models and carried a knife. After one
of his friends was killed, Warren became depressed and increasingly
aggressive.
Warren heard about The Prince’s Trust Get into Construction
course through a friend. Six months later Warren was learning five
trades and earning his CSCS card that allows him to work on
construction sites.
After the course, Warren was given an apprenticeship that led to
him getting work as a finishing manager. He hopes to go on to
university to study Construction Project Management.
Learning and Skills Council Educational Achiever
Award
Andrew James
Andrew’s mum passed away shortly after he was born. His sister
contracted meningitis when she was four, which has left her with
some disabilities. Andrew helps his dad to care for her.
As a result of the pressures on him at home, Andrew found school
quite difficult. He found it hard to make friends because of his
low self-esteem and lack of social skills.
Andrew joined the xl club as a quiet, self-conscious boy but now
has many friends and is more confident. He gained several GCSEs and
is now at college studying IT. He wants to make the most of his
newfound confidence and the opportunities he has been given.
The Federation of Small Businesses Enterprise Award
Nigel Tait – N Tait Services
Nigel has dyslexia. He was bullied at school and when his
parents separated, he became very depressed. He left school with
few qualifications and although he gained an apprenticeship as an
electrician, he lost the role due to his depression.
After many years of battling depression, Nigel approached The
Prince’s Trust for a business loan. He attended the Get into
Business course then received his low-interest loan which enabled
him to set up his business of domestic appliance repairs,
electrical and plumbing services.
Nigel’s business is going from strength to strength. He is able
to provide for his partner and young daughter, and he is getting
married in 2010.
Metropolitan Police Community Impact Award
My Action, My Knife, Our Community
This group of young people were all unemployed when they applied
for a Prince’s Trust Community Cash Award.
They wanted to offer workshops in dance, theatre and music
during the school holidays as a way of giving young people in
Ilford a distraction from hanging around the streets and possibly
getting involved in knife crime. Over 200 young people got involved
and the project gave young people an outlet for their
creativity.
Professional tutors in spoken word, physical theatre and dance
worked with the young people, and a final performance was held at
the end of the project. The show was filmed and the group have
produced a DVD showcasing the achievements of all involved.
KBR Inspiring Leaders Award
Rydon Group Ltd
Rydon has been a member of The Trust’s Construction and Business
Services Leadership Group since 2006. Initially, Rydon’s support
was purely financial but they are now a Delivery Partner.
Rydon has pioneered a new delivery model for the Get into
Construction programme, using the actual team working on the
regeneration of a social housing estate. The young people, who were
selected from the area around the estate that was being
regenerated, trained ‘on the job’ rather than within a
classroom-type environment.
Participants responded well to the environment Rydon created,
turning up on time and working to gain their CSCS card. Rydon also
provided two apprenticeships at the end of the course, an added
incentive for participants.
The Prince's Trust Volunteer of the Year Award
David Priest
David has volunteered for nearly six years and is involved in a
number of different areas including the Business Programme,
Development Awards, and more recently he has become a Leaving Care
Mentor.
David uses his experience as a Chartered Accountant to write and
deliver workshops on bookkeeping and has sat on the Dragons’
Den-style panel as part of Get into Business.
His knowledge of football creates an easy rapport with Get
Started with Football participants. They respect David and confide
in him about their personal issues.
He promotes The Trust at various business fairs and events and
to external individuals, encouraging them to get involved. He is a
shining example of a volunteer.
The Prince's Trust Staff Award
Calvin Silvester
The number of young people supported in the Thames Valley area
has increased since Calvin joined The Trust. As Programme Manager,
he always looks for the best solution to help young people.
Where there have been insufficient volunteers, Calvin has
stepped in and mentored the clients himself until a permanent
mentor can be found. He is a strong supporter of new programmes and
has piloted new programmes in the area such as Get into Business.
Calvin is also working with colleagues to expand the Leaving Care
programme into Buckinghamshire.
Calvin’s passion for The Trust is demonstrated by the amount of
time and effort he commits to supporting young people, staff and
volunteers.