Two of the capital’s youth workers have been nominated for Scotland’s National Youth Work Awards for their work in bringing local young people and the wider community together. Coral Riddell, Prince’s Trust, based in Juniper Green and Katie Horsburgh, who leads the 193b City of Edinburgh Guides, have both been shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year.
Coral (above, right) volunteers as a Mentor with The Prince’s Trust, supporting young people to overcome barriers, believe in themselves and unlock their potential. Her commitment to one-to-one youth work means every young person she works with has secured a positive outcome, moving on to training or employment.
We can’t say it better than Lucy, a young woman Coral mentored in 2017. When they first met, Lucy had no confidence and was struggling to find work – now she’s a Visitor Assistant at the Scotch Whisky Experience, leading tours for hundreds of guests every day.
Lucy said: “When I first met Coral, I was anxious and lacked self-belief. Now I feel like a different person… She has truly inspired me and her mentoring has helped me to discover who I am as a person and how to follow my heart in everything I do.”
If there’s a fiercer advocate for girls and young woman in Scotland than Katie Horsburgh, then we haven’t found them.
Every week, Katie (above) volunteers as a Young Leader with the 193rd B City of Edinburgh Guides and leads girls in a wide range of activities, challenges and adventures. But at just 17, she is also fast becoming a high-profile campaigner for young women’s rights. Katie volunteers as an Advocate, representing Girlguiding nationally to speak out on a wide range of issues from period poverty to media sexism. As part of a national campaign to end sexual harassment in schools, Katie created a powerful film about girls’ experiences – she won a John Byrne Award for her creative efforts.
Most recently, Katie was invited to join the First Minister’s Advisory Council for Women and Girls where she’ll represent the views of Girlguiding Scotland’s 50,000 young members.
Commenting, CEO of YouthLink Scotland, Jim Sweeney MBE said: “We want to celebrate young people and the youth workers who make a difference. Coral Riddell and Katie Horsburgh are an incredible illustration of youth work that literally changes lives.
“In every part of Scotland, every day, thousands of youth workers, many of them volunteers, are supporting young people to follow their dreams and realise their potential. At the heart of these Awards will be the voices of our young people, telling their youth work story.”
The National Youth Work Awards 2018 will be one of the events that celebrate Scotland’s first-ever Year of Young People. This national event, co-designed with young people, will showcase their amazing talents and will recognise the impact of youth workers on the lives of young people.
The Awards are all about celebrating the power of young people and the vital role of Scotland’s 80,000 youth work volunteers and staff in the lives of our young people.
Rachael McCully, aged 21 and Steven Mann, aged 23, from the YOYP Communic18 group, who are involved in co-designing the Awards said: “The National Youth Work Awards lets us celebrate the truly life changing work our youth workers are carrying out on a daily basis. It’s time for them to be recognised for the unbelievable work they do for the young people across the nation. We have the great pleasure of co-designing the awards this year and we are hoping to make it the best year so far.”
Minister for Childcare & Early Years Ms Maree Todd MSP said: “As part of the consultation for Year of Young People 2018, young people highlighted that they want to celebrate the important role supporting adults have on their lives. Thousands of young people across Scotland have silent champions, who work behind the scenes to raise aspirations and build young people’s confidence and skills.
“The National Youth Work Awards will provide an excellent platform during Year of Young People 2018 to shine a light on the life-changing role youth workers, volunteers and staff make to Scotland’s young people.”
The National Youth Work Awards will be held on Thursday 15 March 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow, hosted by Deputy First Minister, John Swinney MSP.
To get involved visit the YouthLink Scotland website at www.youthlinkscotland.org