Double delight as youth workers lift top awards
It was a double celebration for great youth work on Arran at the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2017 in Glasgow last week.
Local youth workers, Graeme Johnston and Hollie Watkins have both picked up national awards for their work with local young people.
The 10th National Youth Worker of the Year Awards, run by YouthLink Scotland, has been an outstanding showcase of the remarkable work that is being done right across the nation. The ceremony was held on Thursday March 16 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow.
Graeme Johnston from Kilwinning and Hollie Watkins from Lamlash, both work with Arran Youth Foundations. The project aims to address the many needs of the island’s young people. Helping those involved to grow in self-confidence, reach their potential and increasingly handle responsibility.
They beat 31 other youth workers and youth projects from all over Scotland to lift for their prizes with Graeme taking the full-time youth worker of the year award, and Hollie Watkins who started as a modern apprentice with the AYF, was named part-time youth worker of the year.
The AYF is a charity that aims to engage the young people of Arran in fun and meaningful youth work activities. Based in Brodick church hall, they open every day of the week for a great variety of activities and events that have included cooking, filmmaking, woodcarving and everything else in-between.
Graeme said: ‘The great thing about youth work is knowing you are empowering young people and helping them to have a voice. Jim Sweeney, the chief executive of YouthLink Scotland said it best at the awards, ‘young people don’t need to be told, they need to be listened to’. A big thanks to AYF for giving me the best job in the world, and a massive thanks to the young folk of Arran for making it the best job in the world!’
Hollie Watkins said she was a bit overwhelmed: ‘It feels amazing! I’m still in a state of shock. It feels good knowing the young folk have a safe place where they can be themselves. Youth work teaches our young folk life skills and helps make them happy and content which can only be a good thing.’
The awards turned out to be a triple celebration as North Ayrshire Council’s youth services manager Angela Morrell also picked up an award, winning the inspirational leadership category which celebrates the outstanding commitment, service and impact that youth workers, managers and partners have on the lives of the young people of Scotland.
Angela said: ‘It’s a huge honour but I know this is very much recognition for the work carried out by the whole of our team here in North Ayrshire. Everyone works together to ensure that our young people are given a real voice and that we listen to it.’