21/05/2018
Archbishops of York and Canterbury pictured with Rozy Brian, Elizabeth Howat and Dan Finn – Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust, Michael Arlington and Peter Mojsa trustees of Allchurches Trust Students from Manor Church of England Academy, Headteacher Simon Barber and Bishop Stephen Conway
The Youth Trust was founded by Dr John Sentamu in 2009 when he announced his vision to empower a new generation of young leaders who would be the change that they need to see in our schools and communities. Through the Young Leaders Award, an active citizenship and character education programme for all schools, the Youth Trust have so far reached over 63,000 young people across the North of England; helping them to grow in confidence and building their leadership skills to make a difference in local communities and beyond.
Allchurches Trust have awarded a grant of over half a million to the Youth Trust for the next three years to enable them to expand this work to schools across the whole country. In September 2017, the University of Gloucestershire completed an independent research report looking at how the Award positively effects young people’s personal, social and educational development.
Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer for the Church of England said at the House of Bishops meeting today that: “At the heart of the Church of England’s vision for education is the message given in Jesus of ‘life in all its fullness’. The Archbishop of York’s Young Leaders Award is already enabling hundreds of schools to educate for wisdom, hope, community and respect, and I’m delighted that the Youth Trust seeks to make the awards available nationally, reaching out with Good News to some of the most vulnerable in our society”.
Michael Arlington, trustee of Allchurches Trust, said: “This is a fantastic project making a positive difference to the lives of young people, giving them the skills and confidence they need to be a force for good within their communities. I’m delighted that our grant will enable the Young Leaders Award to be rolled out in schools across the UK, building on the great work of the Youth Trust throughout the North of England.”
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said: “I am always impressed by young people who are doing this Award, by their creativity and willingness to serve and volunteer. I regularly hear from them about their youth social action in care homes, in renovation projects, in caring for the homeless, in community litter-picks and in raising money for many charities. It is thanks to Allchurches Trust that we are now able to reach even more young people, in both the north and the south!”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby said: “It will be of huge benefit to see the Young Leaders Award rolled out across the country, enabling young people to grow in confidence and vision, and equipping them to make a difference for the Common Good in their local communities and beyond. This provides the opportunity for participating young people to grasp something of the essential nature of the Church, as bringing good news for everyone, working together for the Common Good.”
Notes to Editors
Links to case studies:
To download case studies of the Young Leaders Awards in schools and videos of Youth Social Action projects visit The Archbishop's Youth Trust website or the Trust’s YouTube channel.
View a short film on the Archbishop of York speaking about the Young Leaders Award.
View a short film providing a summary of the University of Gloucestershire Research.
About Allchurches Trust
Allchurches Trust is one of the UK’s largest grant-making charities. In 2017, Allchurches Trust gave £15.6 million to churches, charities and communities. Established in 1972, Allchurches Trust funds come from our ownership of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, which was founded in 1887. Our grants further our charitable objectives of promoting the Christian faith and other charitable causes. We welcome applications from all parts of the UK and Ireland, particularly from areas of social and economic deprivation. We fund projects that tackle homelessness, poverty and social exclusion, enabling individuals and communities to thrive. We also support the repair, restoration and wider community use of churches and cathedrals of all denominations. Follow Allchurches Trust on Twitter, Facebook or visit our website.
About the Archbishop of York Youth Trust
To date the Youth Trust have enrolled over 550 Primary and Secondary schools to the Young Leaders Award, empowering around 63,000 young people to put leadership into action and make a difference in other people's lives through youth social action and community volunteering.
For more information on the Young Leaders Award, please visit the Archbishops' Youth Trust website or contact The Archbishop of York Youth Trust: 01904 231010 or [email protected]
For media enquiries for the Archbishop of York or for media interviews with Dan Finn, Director of the Archbishop’s Youth Trust – please contact Elizabeth Addy at tel. 01904 772365 or email: [email protected]