The last year has been especially tough for young people who have struggled with home schooling and been without daily contact with friends and their wider support group.

Yet with these challenges many young people have shown remarkable resilience and a number have been involved in helping others in the community who they view as having a harder time than them.

The West Midlands Lieutenancy aims to reward and celebrate people doing extraordinary things to support their community and each year individuals and charity volunteers are recognised through the established Honours system.

Until last year there has not been a special award for young people going the “extra mile” to help others but it was decided to introduce one to acknowledge the outstanding contribution young people were making during the pandemic and to continue this award in future years to highlight the incredible things young people do. 

The West Midlands Lieutenancy Young Active Citizen Award was launched last autumn and schools across the region were invited to share stories of pupils who they knew were contributing in amazing ways.

Nominations came from across the region with young people showing caring, dedication and passion to help others. As well as dedicating many hours of volunteering, many showed initiative and imagination in how they were helping others.

There were children helping promote and run food banks, delivering meals for those in need and challenges to raise money for the NHS. Others recorded themselves reading books to share with younger children, set up youth clubs and youth kitchens to prevent children going onto the streets. 

There are inspirational stories of visits to recovery and rehabilitation centres, buying nail polish to paint elderly patient nails and even creating songs to sing to NHS staff.

Their efforts were amazing and each one will receive a signed certificate from the Lord-Lieutenant, John Crabtree OBE, who is delighted with the response. He said:

“We knew young people were doing some fantastic activities to help others but the new award has provided an opportunity to find out how much is going on and how young people are contributing. It is hugely heart-warming to hear their stories and I am impressed with their ingenuity and the lengths they have gone to make such a positive contribution to help others.

"I am looking forward to meeting many of them later in the year and I am grateful for all the schools that helped highlight their endeavours to us.” 

From all 38 nominations, fourteen young people have been chosen to meet the Lord-Lieutenant to receive their prize at a ceremony later in the year. These young people include Harvey Kataria from St Michael’s School in Dudley who supported and promoted the Black Country Foodbank with a “kindness is powerful” campaign around National Kindness Day on 13 November.

Emma Wood and Chelsea Jade Grant from St Michaels in Dudley also played a major role in improving a local park and being advocates for young people in the community.

The winners will all receive a certificate and prize from the Lord-Lieutenant in the coming year and all nominations will be receiving certificates of recognition signed by the Lord-Lieutenant.

The West Midlands Lieutenancy will be contacting schools again this year to ask them to help identify young active citizens. If you know of someone aged between 11-18 years deserving recognition for going the extra mile to help their community, you can email office@wmlieutenancy.org.