The efforts of our community's young volunteers will be celebrated next month at the annual Orkney Youth Awards. A host of awards will be handed out on Wednesday 26 March, including Saltire Awards for volunteering, Dynamic Youth, Youth Achievement and Saltire Summit Awards. The Orcadian newspaper will also be presenting their The Orcadian Community Award to up to 12 folk, aged 12 - 25.
Nominations for The Orcadian Community Awards are now open. If you know someone who has gone the extra mile to help someone in need, you can nominate them by emailing the following information to eilidh.wilkinson@vaorkney.org.uk before 12 noon on Friday 28 February:
- Your name
- Contact phone number
- Organisation (if applicable)
- Name of the young person you would like to nominate
- Nominee's age
- In a 2 or 3 sentences also tell us what makes them worthy of the award
VAO's Youth Development Worker Eilidh Wilkinson said:
The Orkney Youth Awards is a real feel-good event. Its great to have so much positivity on display and a strong antidote to any negative perceptions held towards our young folk.
Most of the awards given on the night are through youth organisations and clubs. While that works well, it might not cover every deserving case, so the Community Award is an opportunity for members of the public to highlight any young folk who might be making a fantastic contribution in their community that we might have missed.
The Orcadian's editor, Leah Seator, is delighted to see the newspaper sponsor this award for a fifth year. She said:
This is a brilliant opportunity for the community of Orkney to get involved in this major celebration of the efforts of young people here, who are doing their bit for the community.
The Youth Awards as an event demonstrates, year after year, that droves of young folk - across various organisations and individually - are going above and beyond to achive, and to support others along the way.
We are delighted once again to support these awards, and to invite the public to nominate a deserving young person for The Orcadian Community Awards.
Last year's community award-winning efforts included contributions to the Pier Arts Centre, fundraising for CLAN Cancer Support, assisting with children's dance classes, promoting the learning of British Sign Language, and work to prevent racism in our community.
Organisers behind the awards are also seeking nominations for the Saltire Summit Awards. Candidates must:
- be an Orkney resident
- be aged 12-25
- not have received a Summit Award previously
Eilidh said:
The Saltire Summit Award is a fantastic opportunity to spotlight and honour young individuals making a substantial difference through their volunteering efforts. It only take a moment to nominate a deserving candidate whose contribution has truly stood out.
The Orkney Youth Awards will be held at The Pickaquoy Centre on Wednesday 26 March 2025. For invited attendees, doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start, and results will be made available afterwards for anyone unable to attend. Alongside this will be live music and supper.
