ABOUT THE CATEGORY: 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.
Find out more about our 2026 winners below.
Winner: Sandhill View Deaf Resource
Through their confidence, commitment and pride in their deaf identity, the group have helped raise awareness of deaf culture and British Sign Language (BSL), becoming strong advocates for inclusion and accessibility in their school and community. They have played a vital role in improving understanding of deafness within school, encouraging better communication, greater empathy and a stronger appreciation of deaf culture.
Their leadership has helped shift perceptions so deafness is seen not as a barrier, but as a valued part of the school's diversity. These experiences have boosted their confidence, broadened their cultural awareness and brought valuable learning back into school. Through their weekly deaf curriculum, pupils explore identity, self-advocacy and deaf history, helping them grow in self-esteem, resilience and independence. They have overcome isolation, challenged misconceptions and supported one another - thoughtful, courageous and inspiring young ambassadors.
Highly Commended: Good Vibes Project
The group from Roker, has been working hard to support and uplift their community through a series of thoughtful and creative initiatives. This Christmas, the group launched a campaign to connect with local residents, making and delivering over 100 handmade, handwritten cards. Each card included a positive message of support - often reaching people who may have little or no contact with others during the season.
The group also baked cakes and gifted them to a nearby supported housing scheme for older residents, bringing joy and smiles to the community. The young people have created "positive people" messages, which they proudly display outside their base to spread encouragement to passersby. They have also taken part in a community litter pick across Roker Park and beach, showing pride in their local environment and helping keep public spaces clean and welcoming. Despite their own pressures - including schoolwork, exams and personal stresses - the group consistently make time to attend sessions, support one another and contribute to every activity. Their enthusiasm, kindness and commitment to making a difference show the genuine impact young people can have when they work together for their community.
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.
