Bringing Communities Together Award - new for 2025!
Recognises young people or groups of young people who bring diverse communities together and create a sense of belonging, breaking down barriers and building stronger relationships in the community. This award is for those who create activities, events, or projects that bring others together, helping everyone feel included and connected. The winners show great effort in building friendships, teamwork, and a strong sense of community.
Winner The Box Youth Volunteers
This group of 24 young volunteers support afterschool activities like music, arts and crafts, sports, games, and E-Sports for 38 weeks a year. Split into teams of six, they assist youth workers one night a week, working with up to 220 children aged 5-11. They also participate in Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programmes and holiday activities for the remaining 14 weeks, playing a crucial role in the youth programme's success.
This year, the volunteers have excelled, achieving inspirational results. They secured funding from Sunderland City Council to deliver Christmas Treat Boxes to elderly residents, showcasing intergenerational work. The group of volunteers were also nominated for an award for their unique driving school project for young people aged 11-17 which helps reduce the cost of driving lessons and supports prior knowledge and road safety.
The volunteers participated in workshops with the National Gallery and delivered a performance. They completed five Key Projects benefiting young people and won a digital competition to design the Teen Room in the new Culture House building. Trained as Tech Mates, they mentor children in E-Sports and IT activities, building confidence, developing friendships, and ensuring positive involvement for every child.
Highly commended: Seth Allen Martin
Seth is a young person dedicated to improving the lives of those who are hearing impaired. Despite facing numerous personal barriers and daily challenges, Seth's motivation to break down barriers for the hearing impaired community is commendable. He has completed his Level 1 in British Sign Language (BSL) and is currently working on Level 2.
Seth volunteers weekly at Durham University, giving up his free time to support others with their communication needs. He uses his hearing privilege to ensure those without it are included and advocated for in their communities. Seth has also supported deaf students on school trips, helping them communicate and navigate a society that is not yet fully inclusive.
Seth is committed to his BSL studies and hopes to pursue a career supporting the deaf community in the near future. His dedication and efforts make a significant impact on those around him
This award is sponsored by Gentoo
Gentoo is Sunderland's main social housing landlord, providing homes for 60,000 people across the city. We are a values-led organisation, with a clear vision and social purpose.
At Gentoo, we believe everyone has the right to live in a good quality home. We invest millions of pounds every year to keep our existing homes safe and to a decent standard and we also play our part in helping meet the demand for affordable housing in Sunderland by building new, modern homes for rent.
We also support our customers and the communities in which they live by working with our partners across a range of issues.
Gentoo is delighted to be supporting the Sunderland Young Achievers' Awards once again and to be sponsoring the Local Community Award.
We wish everyone a fantastic evening as we pay tribute to the achievement of so many amazing and inspirational youngsters and the incredible contributions they make to life in Sunderland.
