Unity Youth Project wins prestigious national award

News | Community

Young people and staff who are part of Peterborough City Council’s Unity Youth Project are celebrating today after being judged to be the best youth work project in the country.

The Unity Youth Project, run by Peterborough City Council’s young people’s service, won the Youth Work Award in the Children and Young People’s Services Awards 2007.

There were more than 400 entries across 23 categories which are judged by a panel of adults and a panel of young people.

One of the young judge’s said: “They are clearly doing great work that changes young people’s lives.”

The Unity Youth Project includes the Unity Football Team who were crowned European Champions at a youth football tournament in May, and the Unity Peacemakers project which has given groups of young people conflict resolution training.

Assistant director of children’s services Elaine Fulton, locality manager for the young people’s service and project founder Javed Ahmed, Unity youth worker Jason Horne and other members of the Unity team were joined by Unity Project members Ricki Ulliot (19) Shaahid Latif (18) and Kofi Mills (19) to pick up the award at a glittering ceremony at The Hurlingham Club in Fulham, West London last night.

The awards celebrate the unsung heroes of the sector and acknowledge achievement in categories that reflect the five Every Child Matters outcomes, from growing up healthy to staying safe.Councillor Geoff Ridgway, Cabinet member for Education and Children’s Services, said: “I am absolutely over the moon.

“It is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved in the Unity project to have won such a prestigious national award. I would like to congratulate them all.”

Elaine Fulton said: “The whole ethos of the Unity Youth Project is about celebrating the things that young people have in common rather than identifying their differences. We are very proud of the Unity Project and everything it has achieved and I am delighted that all the hard work by staff and the young people has been recognised nationally and has put Peterborough on the map for leading the way in community cohesion among young people.”

Shaahid Latif said: “It was fantastic to go along to the awards ceremony. I have never been to anything like that before. The feeling when they announced we had won was wicked. It was great that all our hard work that we have all put into the project has been recognised. We picked up that award on behalf of all the young people who have been involved in Unity over the past five years.”

November 2007 - Peterborough UK Community Website