Call for entries for Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2014

Do you know of a youth worker who had made an exceptional contribution? It could be a colleague or someone in an organisation that’s made a difference in your community.

Nominations are open for the Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2014, which recognise the excellence of youth workers and their enduring positive impact on young people and local communities.

First launched by the Commonwealth Youth Programme in 2013, the awards scheme is aimed at recognising and celebrating outstanding youth workers from across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth and overseas territories. Awards will be presented during Youth Work Week in November 2014.

Katherine Ellis, Youth Affairs Director for the Commonwealth Secretariat, stated: “Youth workers make an enormous contribution to national development, engaging, developing and empowering young adults and older adolescents. They inspire and motivate these young people, building their skills and confidence to succeed.

“The Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of those at the cutting edge of youth work. The international recognition that flows from these awards allows the winners to act as champions for their profession and inspire many others who work with young people.”

Entries close on 30 August 2014, after which a total of 16 finalists will be shortlisted from four Commonwealth regions: Africa and Europe, Asia, Americas and Caribbean, and Pacific. A winner will be selected from each region, and invited to a presentation at the House of Commons, London, United Kingdom, during Youth Work Week in early November 2014.

During the presentation, one of the regional winners will be declared Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year 2014. Entries will be scrutinised by a panel of judges including representatives of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and young people.

Youth Work Week, organised by the Commonwealth Youth Programme in partnership with the UK’s National Youth Agency, celebrates the contribution and achievements of youth work, youth workers, and youth organisations throughout the Commonwealth.

The international theme for Youth Work Week 2014 is ‘Youth Empowerment though Soft Skills’. Soft skills are the competences which enable people to interact effectively and think creatively, such as: team-work, self-confidence and resilience.

Nominations process

Nominate a youth worker by completing the official submission form available from the Commonwealth website (thecommonwealth.org)

Completed forms should be emailed to l.robinson@commonwealth.int by 30 August 2014.

Nominations will be assessed according to:

• Impact on young people’s lives – evidence of how the youth worker has made an impact on the lives of young people
• Impact of youth work skills – evidence to show that it was their use of youth work skills that made the difference in the work with young people
• Impact on the wider community – the impact the youth worker’s intervention had on the community and families
• Challenges in delivery – how the applicant overcame challenges in delivering their work with young people

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