On the 30th of January, more than 250 young people and their families joined us for the Power2 Graduation and awards ceremony for the North West, which took place at Parrs Wood High School in East Didsbury. It was a fantastic evening celebrating everything the Teens and Toddlers and Power2 Be Active participants have achieved in the last year.

All of the past year’s participants were invited on to the stage to celebrate their achievements and receive their certificates. Our CEO Julie Randles welcomed everyone to the event, while special awards were presented for the Young Mentor of the Year, the Social Action Hero’s Outstanding Group of the Year and the School Partnerships of the Year.

---

Saeed Atcha MBE

We were thrilled to welcome Saeed Atcha MBE, the Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Social Mobility Commissioner and CEO of the charity Youth Leads, who congratulated the programme graduates and award winners and delivered an inspiring speech. Saeed, who also went to secondary school in the Greater Manchester area and recently became one of the youngest people ever to be awarded an MBE, had this to say about the Power2 ceremony:

“It was great to be a part of the celebrations of all the amazing young people that have taken part in Power2 programmes, because they have been able to develop their skills for employability. They’re future leaders and it is great to recognise them and show them that they are meant for excellence.

My advice to the young people that were involved is absolutely to follow your passion. Don’t let anyone tell you ‘you can’t do it’. If they do tell you that, go out and prove them wrong."

---

Julie Randles, Power2 CEO

“At Power2, we give young people the chance to achieve their full potential,” said Julie Randles, Power2’s Chief Executive.

“It’s our 20^th year and in that time we’ve reached an incredible 25,000 children and young people. Since 2008, we’ve partnered with nearly 200 schools and nurseries in the North West. Every one of the 5,500 young people we have worked with in the region has had a positive impact on the life of their toddler, whilst taking steps to develop their own skills, build their self-confidence and ultimately achieve their full potential.

Thank you to everyone who made tonight possible. Thanks to all the schools, nurseries, teachers, family members and partners for their support – particularly to Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Young Manchester and The Greater Manchester High Sheriffs Police Trust (GMHSPT), our sponsors for this evening. Thank you to Saeed for telling his incredible story to inspire us all. And thanks to our young graduates for working with us, for their dedication to the programme and for being such brilliant mentors to their toddlers. I can’t wait to see the great things they go on to do in the future.”

 

THE AWARD WINNERS IN DETAIL

 

1. The Young Mentor of the Year 2019, sponsored by Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP

Manchester Health Academy student, Ciara Kirk, was named the ‘Weil’ Young Mentor of the Year for 2019.

14 year-old Ciara was praised for her commitment, care and responsibility while on the Teens and Toddlers programme, as well as working hard to overcome her shyness and nerves and take on board the advice and coaching from programme staff.

Power2’s Programme Lead, Kerry Coups, said:

“When Ciara first joined Teens and Toddlers she was quite shy and nervous. But since starting the programme and with lots of reassurance and focused tasks, Ciara started to engage with her toddler. Week after week her confidence continued to grow when interacting with her toddler and she was truly committed; always striving to be the best she could be.

“She was also one of the first people to put herself forward for the Young Leaders programme – despite not knowing anyone else taking part. I feel Ciara has been on a real journey of self-discovery. To see how she has gone from being a young mentor who was unsure of her abilities to a young woman who has found the confidence to voice how she feels has been a privilege to see.”

Ciara told us she was surprised to receive the award as she really hadn’t been expecting it. When talking about taking part in Power2’s programmes, she explained: “It is a really good opportunity to have. I’ve got confidence issues and it has really helped me in boosting it.”

2. The Social Action Heroes Outstanding Group of the Year 2019, sponsored by Young Manchester

Wellacre Academy was named the Outstanding Group of the Year for 2019.

This award goes to the group which shows the greatest engagement with and commitment to the Power2 programmes.

Alex Reed, Connor Trueman, Nate Halfpenny, Rio Collins, Ryan O'Leary, Jacob Scott, Joshua Scrimeager, Dylan Small and Bradley Bonnell (all 14-16) were selected for their outstanding attitude and dedication.

Power2’s Programme Lead, Kaine Clark said:

“When we first started Teens and Toddlers at Wellacre, we met a group of lads that didn’t really warm to the idea of going to a nursery and becoming mentors. But when it came to start the mentoring they blew the nursery staff away! They instantly got stuck in and started to build fantastic bonds with their toddlers and it was great to see them letting their guards down and being themselves.

Over the course of the project, the boys matured both during the programme sessions and around school. One of the boys has gone on to become Head Boy and another is looking into doing work experience at the primary school he mentored in. I am extremely proud of these young men and everything they have achieved on the programme.”

 

3. The Secondary School Partnership of the Year 2019, sponsored by the Greater Manchester High Sheriff's Police Trust

Longdendale High School won the Secondary School Partnership Award 2019, a prize which is awarded to the school demonstrating the greatest collaboration and commitment to the programme.

Longdendale High School and Power2 have been working together since 2007.

 “It’s been a pleasure to work with Longdendale High School,” said Power2 Programme Lead, Colette Tipple.

“They were involved with the Teens and Toddlers pilot in Tameside in 2007. Since then, Longdendale Teacher Sarah Shaw has been actively supporting the organisation to ensure our continued collaboration. She is a great advocate for our work, promoting Power2 programmes to other schools and organisations and even attending pitches to potential funders, speaking about the impact of our work on young people and outcomes achieved with her students. It’s been fantastic working alongside her for so many years.”

Sarah Shaw had this to say about her experiences with Power2: 

"We always love working with Power2. The staff we have worked with have been amazing. They are professional, caring and fantastic at motivating some of our most difficult learners. We currently have Year 11s who are using their journals, experience and knowledge gained from completing the programme to support their applications for college. We really value the service and hope it continues to grow."

4. The Primary School Partnership of the Year 2019, sponsored by the Greater Manchester High Sheriff's Police Trust

Divine Mercey RC Primary School won the Primary School Partnership Award which recognises the contribution made by the primary schools which have shown commitment, dedication and a collaborative spirit in supporting the programme.

Divine Mercey and Power2 have been working together since 2014.

Tracey Clark-Walker, Programme Lead at Power2 said:“The school really deserve this award – they’re incredibly passionate about the children and the programme and go the extra mile to support what we do.”

Sean Mitchell, the Early Years Leader at Divine Mercy, who collected the award, had this to say about the programme:

“When we heard about Teens and Toddlers we thought this is something we’ll definitely have a go at. We were apprehensive at first, but the way the programme is structured with the mentors and teachers coming in to support the children, that really took the load off us. To be fair, it has been fantastic. It’s worked like a dream.”

---

From everyone at Power2 we would like to say a huge congratulations to all the young people who collected their awards and certificates and thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event. We also extend our gratitude to our generous sponsors and to Parrs Wood High School who kindly hosted the ceremony.

#Power2NWGraduation