The Awards
There are two different award categories; five individual awards and five group awards.
There are descriptions below which act as criteria for applying and gives more detail about the purpose of the award.
Group Awards
Best Youth Work Partnership
This award celebrates the achievements gained through partnership working. Youth work thrives on successful partnerships - between projects, organisations and sectors, between people, places and ideas – and this award will recognise an exemplary project, programme or initiative where a real difference was made because of partnership.
Best Youth Participation Initiative
This award is for the initiative that has done the most to effectively involve young people in taking the lead in planning and organising the work as well as delivering it. Participation means taking involvement further by involving young people in shared decision making and making changes. We are therefore looking for initiatives that can demonstrate how they involve young people in decision making, ensuring that opportunities are offered in a fair way and that the contribution of young people from all different backgrounds is valued.
Outstanding Statutory Youth Service Team
This award is for a statutory youth service that demonstrates a commitment to engaging young people in exciting and meaningful opportunities. The winner will be passionate and committed to promoting youth work both to young people and also relevant organisations and agencies. They will be a beacon of best practice and an example to others, possessing an innovative approach to youth work delivery with a strong ethical value base underpinning their provision.
Outstanding Voluntary Youth Sector Team
This award is for a team of workers within the voluntary youth sector who have really made that extra effort to collectively provide an excellent service for young people. Together, this team have excelled to provide better services for young people, giving them the opportunity to learn, thrive, and improve in life.
Most Exciting Youth Project
This award is open to the Most Exciting Youth Project based in the North East within the age of 11-25. For this award you need to be able to evidence how young people are involved, and how they have a say within the project. The project should be known to a wider audience other than just the group itself, be creative, innovative, outstanding and original.
Individual Awards
Youth Worker of the Year
This award is for a youth worker who’s excelled at building positive relationships with young people, helping them to see their potential and fulfil it. This award will go to an individual who has demonstrated consistent skill, knowledge and experience in the field of youth work on a full time or part time basis. They will be respected by young people, peers, managers and partners for their on-going enthusiasm and commitment.
Statutory Youth Service Manager of the Year
This award is open to any individual who has demonstrated proven success in managing and developing a team in the statutory youth service, and proved his/her worth over and above the job description. The emphasis is on the personal and individual contribution and how this contribution has made a difference. The award aims to recognise the quality of the individual’s work, his/her managerial skills, achievements and the on-going benefits to the statutory youth service.
Voluntary Youth Sector Manager of the Year
This award is open to any individual who has demonstrated proven success in managing and developing a project or organisation in the voluntary youth sector, taking into account the challenges of the current economic climate and constraints of funding opportunities. The emphasis for this award is on the personal contribution this individual has made, and how they have gone over and above their job description to lead their team and project to success. The award aims to recognise the commitment of the individual and the quality of his/her work, managerial skills and the success of their project/organisation.
Volunteer of the Year
The volunteer of the year award will be open to any individual over the age of 16 who volunteers in the youth work sector. We are looking for someone who is dedicated and reliable and has had a positive impact on a project, service users and the local community. The people who receive services via volunteers may otherwise be isolated, lack access to vital services and face many other disadvantages in life. Volunteers positively affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year in the UK. The RYWU-NE would like to recognise this contribution to young people’s services through this award.
Lifetime Achievement or Outstanding Contribution
This award is for the person or organisation which has made an outstanding contribution to youth work over many years. We will be looking for the person or organisation which has brought about real change in their area of work, and made a positive difference to people’s lives over a long period of time. There is no specific length of time which constitutes a lifetime, but we would expect that it is someone or something which has been around for a while.
