Recognition inspires - Awards delight

I was invited to join the young judges table again because 15 years ago I started working with CYP Now to source and support young people to be its award judges. At a time when we are debating the future for a national youth-voice council for the UK, the 'young judges panel' is a good example of how an organisation like CYP Now not only champions youth-voice principles but embeds it in their practice. In 2006, CYP Now magazine produced the Participation Charter in consultation with the youth sector and in partnership with young people through the Participation Works Consortium (PWC) of national charities and their networks. It puts these values into practice by giving equal weight to its young judges’ scores across 24 categories of their own awards and I've used the opportunity to seek out future young leaders to experience the process - an experience of the value of recognition they will take into their future careers. (The charter and indeed the PWC structure are both worth revisiting to inform the current youth voice debate and I’ll write about this in the coming weeks).