It didn’t feel real but now we can show people young peoples voices matter too!”

It was another wonderful night for Youth Moves at the annual Bristol Young Heroes awards this year. 

The event which celebrates the success and resilience of young people in the city took place on Friday 15 July at Bristol Harbour Hotel. 

We came away with two big winners on the night, including the team award, which amazingly was the first ever won by young people. 

Find out about the Bristol Young Heroes awards here

The nominations we had in each category were : 

Macy – Action Hero 

Leon – Caring hero

Aaron – Learning Hero 

Youth Opinions – Team of heroes

High Sheriff Award – Paul Coyne 

All set! Aaron and Leon outside the Bristol Harbour Hotel on Corn Street ready for the Bristol Young Heroes Awards

When the awards were announced, unfortunately, Macy, Leon and Aaron didn’t win, but did amazingly well to get this far and we are truly proud of them all. 

The team award nomination for Youth Opinions was a first for the awards, as it’s always consisted of teams of adults, such as a youth or community organisation or a business. So when they were announced as winners it was somewhat a shock and a truly special moment. 

What started out as a small group to represent the voice of young people on the estates of South Bristol has gone from strength to strength. Today they liase with local politicians on policy, offer consultancy advise on youth violence across the region, and even distribute funding and grants to other young people and community groups across the area. They are truly making a real contribution and impact across the city of Bristol. 

Youth Opinions group outside the Bristol Harbour Hotel

Members of the group were really happy and proud of themselves to come away with the award. Dee said “It felt surreal to be a part of it and it honestly felt amazing to go up on stage and get the award.”

Lily, another young person felt that ‘it was such an amazing experience and was such fun to go onstage.” 

And Macy, a valuable member of the team who despite not winning her individual award was absolutely over the moon to get this, said: “It felt like all of our hard work was worth it! I was so happy when we got called on stage it didn’t feel real, but now we can show people young peoples voices matter too!”

Putting youth voice at the front and centre of all we do is central to Youth Moves so to win this was a real recognition of that, and something that we look to strengthen and build on as we move forward.

Getting excited inside the venue for the awards

Head of Youth Work Denise Clifford, someone who has been at the forefront of youth participation work in Bristol for a long time, helped to create the group with young people from the very start. She was exceptionally pleased, and said: “They have worked so hard this year, and for Youth Moves to have such a strong youth voice in our organisation is an impressive achievement.’

The winning team photo or our Youth Opinions Group

We would like to pay tribute to all the nominees from the various organisations across the city, and of course to thank the brilliant Community of Purpose and their CEO Amy Kington for another fantastic night. Onwards and upwards Bristol.