One of the most anticipated events of the year, the Plymouth Youth Awards, took place last night, June 19th, celebrating the outstanding achievements of children and young adults.

These awards highlight their inspiring feats against adversity and their dedication to making a difference. This year, we are incredibly proud of Megan who was nominated, by her tutor Mrs Youlden, for Plymouth’s annual Youth Awards held at the Crowne Plaza. Not only was she honoured with being a finalist, but Megan even won the Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award!

Mrs Youlden said, “Megan is an outstanding young person who endlessly contributes to our community via the various voluntary and leadership roles that she undertakes.

In college, she continually maintains fantastic academic results and has excellent time keeping skills and attendance. As well as working hard towards her GCSE exams, she dedicates hours of her time to supporting other young people through her role as Deputy Leader for Youth Parliament. As part of this role, Megan has co-led conferences about local issues affecting young people, such as education and the environment. She has also publicly spoken on issues of children's wellbeing at a conference in Exeter.

She is extremely passionate about supporting mental health in young people and even volunteers at a youth club where she delivers sessions about mental health and sex education for local youths ranging from year 5 to year 8. Megan is an active leader at Sea Cadets where she mentors the junior cadets in both seamanship and social skills. Also, through her work in this field, Megan has raised money for the British Legion by selling poppies in the lead up to Armistice Day.

As a keen ambassador for local wildlife, Megan has also undertaken voluntary work for a Bird of Prey centre where she helped to maintain the health and wellbeing of the birds by feeding them and cleaning out their aviaries. All in all, she is thoroughly deserving of this award. Well done Megan!”

Megan beamed, saying, “I was thrilled to win the Outstanding Contribution to the Community category. It was incredibly rewarding to be recognised for all the hard work I've put into both school achievements and contributions to the local community. I genuinely love being part of community-based projects and helping local people with their individual needs, and it's nice to receive a commendation for it. Now that I've finished Year 11, I plan to continue volunteering at my local youth group and also at a primary school."

A huge well done Megan - we are incredibly proud of you. Despite facing challenging experiences, you have chosen to thrive and help others, making a significant impact on their lives. It is wonderful to see your achievements celebrated at this event.