Youth Service News Issue 1 - Leicestershire County Council

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Educate, Challenge, Empower, Young People Learning for Life By Andrew Lake Area Youth Work Coordinator for Young People at Risk for Charnwood and Melton The Philip Lawrence Awards celebrate “outstanding citizenship” by groups of young people aged 11- 20, in projects that help community safety and counter crime, violence and racism. The awards are supported by the Home Office. They are national awards set up in memory of the Head Teacher Philip Lawrence, who was killed outside his school 10 years ago breaking up a fight. Dreamers is the County Youth Service’s education and support project for young asylum seekers and refugees who are living in Leicestershire. It is an important strand in the strategy of working with young people at risk. It currently involves over 100 young people from Albania, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Syria and other countries. The group meet together to learn and support each other. They also work towards developing and fostering a better understanding by the wider community of asylum seekers and refugees. Our entry for the Awards began life during the summer. A significant part of the entry form had to be produced and written by the young people themselves – quite a challenge when English is not your first language. (Dreamers have over 8 languages in use at most of the sessions), but anyway, a focus group of Dreamers’ members was formed. The first session of the focus group met at Pizza Hut. Ten of the group turned up. I set out the idea of why I thought they should enter the Awards. The group asked me questions such as “Why would a National Award body give us an award – we are not even British – we are asylum seekers and not many people like us”. This was going to be tricky! I remember trying to say something encouraging and pointed out to them how they were contributing positively “Why would a Nationa body give us an award – we are not even Brit – we are asylum seek not many people like FROM A BUFFET TO WINNING A PHILIP L YOUTH SERVICE NEWS
l Award ish ers and us” to community life in the County and that Dreamers isn’t a project that backs down from challenge. At this point the group immediately asked me to hand over all the forms and to go and help myself at the buffet – they would deal with it. The young people discussed what and how they could say what they wanted to say. I remember butting in to tell them that spelling and grammar were not that important and I would help to correct them, especially if I couldn’t understand what they were trying to say. I wondered what they were writing – something pretty intense was going on judging by the huddles and lots of paper swapping hands. Eventually, they handed me back the forms and their notes and dashed off to see if I had left anything for them to eat. I read their notes. They had written about how Dreamers had helped them. I was touched by the depth and content of the writings. Here are some examples. “Every problem I have, I know where to go and sort it out. I never wanted to talk; now I talk with people from different parts of the world. Together we are stronger”, young person 16. “Dreamers have taken away from me my aloneness, feeling like an outsider that no one cares about”, young person 16. “When I go to Dreamers I feel strong and I am powerful. I am not alone and people want to know me”, young person 15. “I lost my home and family, Dreamers reunited me with my cousin and helped us get a flat together. They care about us”, young person 18. And there were lots more. I was touched by what they had produced and told them so as they Educate, Challenge, Empower, Young People Learning for Life tucked into plates of pizza. I told them I would submit their work as the core of the entry. The focus group still had little belief that they could win. A few months later we had a phone call. Dreamers had won an Award! Dreamers decided that 2 European, 2 Arab, one African and one Afghan member would make up the delegates who would travel to London to receive the Award. It was felt that this mix highlighted the makeup of the group. A few weeks later we were checking into a hotel, travelling on trains, undergrounds, attending rehearsals etc. These were new experiences for the group members and for some of them quite a bewildering and challenging experience. The day of the Award Ceremony at the Bloomsbury Theatre came. The theatre was packed with spectators. Our group was called to the stage with the other 9 Award winning groups to receive their Award and a cheque for £1000. Presenting them with their Award was Frances Lawrence (widow of Philip), Sir Trevor McDonald and Charles Clark, the Home Secretary. Afterwards the group mixed with VIP guests, other groups and, of course, the media. The members’ sense of pride and sheer delight in succeeding was clear to see. To contact Dreamers Tel: 01509 267 796. AWRENCE AWARD! YOUTH SERVICE NEWS
Page 1 and 2: News Editor Neil Hanney Youth Servi
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Page 7 and 8: Following on from last year’s Awa

Youth Service News Issue 1 - Leicestershire County Council

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