2018 Youth Leadership Finalists

Blackburn Rovers FC Community Trust

The Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (BRFC) has aimed to inspire young people from all communities as part of its inclusion and awareness projects which encourage off-field participation, success and enjoyment. 
In the past year the group has also made conscious effort to increase its BAME engagement with the local community.
Their club has visited a number of local schools and linked-up with grassroots clubs such as Blackburn United.
The club itself have taken huge strides over the last year and are in constant dialogue with local BAME businesses and local BAME communities on how they can extend and improve the relationship with the club. 
The club has also introduced a non-alcohol zone to accommodate the BAME community and now have a halal offering on the menu. 
A recent report has shown that the club has had over 100 interactions with the BAME schools in the last two years.
In 2018, The Trust picked up the regional award accredited by the EFL and also collected the highly coveted Family Club of the Year award.

Don’t Hate Me

This empowering film led by school pupils aims to raise the issue of hate crime.
Pupils at St. Luke's CE Primary School worked alongside M6 Theatre Company to produce a short film about hate crime, ‘Don’t Hate Me.’
The film is aimed at children in Key Stage 2 and it is a valuable resource for schools to use to raise discussions around hate crime.
The pupils worked with Yasin Khan, the Equality and Community Cohesion Officer from Rochdale Council, as he delivered hate crime workshops with the children around bullying, racism and social media.  The children were inspired by Yasin’s workshops and he was so impressed by the children's responses that he asked the school to work in collaboration with M6 Theatre Company to produce a short hate crime video.  The aim was to produce a short film that could be used in other schools across Rochdale and beyond.
Unfortunately, Yasin was diagnosed with lung cancer before filming began. The children were adamant that they complete the film and make it an even bigger success and make Yasin proud of the impact his work has had in the school.
The children worked alongside M6 Theatre Company with Caroline Kennedy and actor Parvez Qadir, along with their teachers and Mako Education and the project was commissioned by the council’s early help and schools and community safety teams to creatively tackle hate crime issues and generate discussions around this topic.
The children had a big input in writing the script and seeing how a short film is put together. 
Yasin sadly died after battling his illness, but the pupils are ensuring his anti-hate message is shared in the powerful short film.
The empowering film is a small tribute to Yasin Khan’s relentless dedication working in schools and helping to improve the lives of the young people and the pupils are honoured to be part of that legacy.

Hands of Hope

Hands of Hope are a Blackburn based community group made up of volunteers from various faiths, backgrounds and ages ranging from 12 to over 60. The aim of the group is to make a difference to the local community, regardless of age, race, religion or ethnicity.
They feed the homeless every week with support from local businesses. This initiative has been on-going for two years. They also provide warm clothing to those in need. All donations are provided personally through their volunteers or the local community.
Hands of Hope have delivered over 3500 Easter eggs to children in hospitals and hospices across the Northwest.
The group has helped raise money for international causes. 
This year one member of the organisation cycled from Manchester to Blackburn raising £20,000 for the Rohingya refugees. 
On Christmas Eve, the team arranged a Christmas party and spent the afternoon at a local care home delivering presents and food to all the residents. Group members raised £500 and delivered over 50 presents to the residents.
Christmas presents for sick children were also delivered to hospitals and hospices in December.
Young people from the group also helped to deliver over 1000 roses to members of the public in a bid to break down barriers and increase love amongst the community.

Let’s Be Foundation

Let’s Be Foundation is an inspiring youth-led social action initiative that empowers and gives young people the platform to serve their local community.
It has been recognised and awarded nationally for its innovative focus on engaging with young people from all backgrounds and helping to better their local communities.
The youngsters from Hollins Secondary School, in Accrington aim to inspire change through positive action. 
The Foundation is run entirely by young people aged 11 to 16 and focuses on three priority areas – helping people in need and the homeless, tackling social isolation amongst the elderly and supporting people with illness.
Recently, the students embarked on a project finding out about the lives of residents at the Woodlands Home for Older People to create a giant 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. 
This inter-generational arts project was hailed as a great way to combat loneliness in the elderly through meaningful and poignant conversations.
The Hollins and Let’s Be Foundation have hosted their annual ‘Great Elderly Tea Party’ at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel with more than 120 guests from across East Lancashire attending.
The Foundation work dedicatedly at their monthly Curry Café supporting people in need and the homeless. 
In December last year the foundation spent time at the Saheli Centre in Accrington in collaboration with Feed the Needy holding a special Christmas Eve lunch, with all attendees receiving a gift. 
The team also painted and decorated their local charity Lancashire Women's Centre, Accrington. 
The foundation is shortlisted for a Community and Collaboration awards at the 2018 Tes School Awards.

Madrasah Taleemul Islam

The students of Madrasah Taleemul Islam, based at the Jamea Mosque in Preston are regularly involved in ‘Caring for the Environment’ activities including planting trees and cleaning up their neighbourhood.
The 'Respecting the Environment' initiative was part of their Ilm2Amal lesson.
The group used equipment which was loaned by Preston City Council.
The project gave the children the opportunity to learn about the different kinds of responsibilities, rights and duties they have at home, at the Madrasah, in the community and towards the environment.
The various Ilm2Amal activities the children took part in ranged from Nature Trails to cleaning up the community play area and visiting the local Fire Station. The students also braved the freezing weather to plant 150 trees at the local Nature Reserve. 
The trees were donated by the Woodland Trust and were planted at Fishwick Nature Reserve in Preston. The lesson for the students focused on 'what the environment is made of and why we have a duty to care for the environment.'
The students have also been involved in several other campaigns in order to bring the children closer to the community. 
They visited a local shelter and helped to feed the homeless. 
They also distributed presents and hot meals at the children's ward of the local hospital.