Youth Mark Celebration Event – Haringey’s Mayor gives her mark of approval

The Youth Mark Celebration event held at Hornsey Library was deemed a huge success by the young people and guests who attended.   

The event was to celebrate the Youth Mark assessor's achievements and present them with certificates in recognition of the time they have volunteered. In true Youth Mark style, Youth Mark assessors helped with all aspects of the event from designing the invitations to arranging the venue space to greeting the guests and serving drinks.  

It was attended by over 65 people including 16 youth mark assessors and members of their families; representatives from the local authority, Councillor Lorna Reith, Haringey Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People; organisations currently participating in Youth Mark assessments and representatives from children and young people's charities.

The guests heard speeches from the young people about their experience of being Youth Mark assessors:

"I felt really important because we had to communicate at the same level as the managers we interviewed, I feel like the voice of young people was heard.

I would encourage people to become part of Youth Mark, it's a really good opportunity to mature, become responsible, become knowledgeable about what's going on in different organisations and become wise about how to improve services."  Carolina aged 17

"The thing I have improved the most is my confidence and that's why I'm able to stand up here and speak in front of you."  Faiza aged 17

There was a great feeling of pride from the young people for all the hard work and achievements they have made through Youth Mark.

The Mayor of Haringey, Councillor Bernice Vanier, attended to present the young people with V Thank You and V 50 awards in recognition of over 500 hours they have spent volunteering for Youth Mark. V is the national volunteering charity for 16-25 year olds.

She was impressed by the young people and the evident benefits that Youth Mark brings to organisations who participate in assessments and to the local communities they support.

"Just looking at these young people and how they've been performing and the confidence they were exuding, I think it's fantastic.

Nowadays, when employment is so difficult, young people need to grab every little thing that will give them that edge over the competition.

I think Youth Mark is a win win because it's a winner for the young people and also a winner for the organisations who get the feedback they need to improve their services."

Susi Farnworth introduced the speeches and a DVD was shown highlighting how Youth Mark training and assessments help young people gain work related skills and improve services for young people.  Jenny Walton spoke of how privileged the Youth Mark team felt to see how much the young people develop through participating in Youth Mark.  Lenny Kinnear, Chief Executive of Y-gen, summed up by talking about Youth Mark's future plans and fundraising activities and thanking the Mayor and all those involved.

We would like to thank all those who came along and supported the young people's work.

Photos courtesy of Katie McGLade