L!STEN for a British Citizenship Youth Award!

Our L!STEN Steering Group received a very special honour last week, here's Evie Coley-Scott to tell us all about it:

Last week we had the absolute privilege of a lifetime to travel to London to collect our British Citizenship Youth Award!

We had a very early wake up call to get the train to Euston. 2 hours and a 20 minute delay later, we arrived in London. A quick changeover to the tube had us get off at embankment and walk along the Hungerford Bridge, take some photos and get a much needed coffee and pastry.

We then had a nice stroll past the London eye to make our way over to the Houses of Parliament. It was great to see the building up close! Once we got there we headed round to the house of lords where we had a lovely walk through the gardens whilst we waited to go inside. We went through security, and were greeted with welcome drinks where we then quickly found our table overlooking the Thames. Sandwiches were passed around followed by most young persons dream meal, chicken nuggets and fish and chips. Cakes, scones and tea followed shortly after and the ceremony began!

After we watched all of the individual awards given out, it was time for the group award. L!sten were the only group in the country to win it this year. We were all very excited to be honoured with a great certificate and medal! Once the ceremony had finished, we had a lap of honour tour on the BCYA branded open top bus. After the open top bus, we carried on walking where we went past Downing Street and even had time to go to the National Gallery!

We got the tube back to Euston and caught the train back home. 2 hours and tired silence later, we were back in Stockport after a long but very enjoyable day.

Thanks so much Evie. Artemis, another member of the group wrote this to share the news:

I have had my fair share of accomplishments in school and externally, however, I honestly cannot name a more impressive and admirable achievement than what we as the L!sten group received on Thursday. I think the moment of realisation dawned on us at the table in the houses of Parliament, right as we were about to be given the award itself.  It was an absolutely spectacular day we had, surrounded with our friends, members of the team and fellow successful and hardworking young people from all over the country- who too were being recognised for their outstanding contributions. I have enjoyed every day I have and spent as part of the L!sten group with PIE these past two years; I cannot wait for more to come and to be able to continue giving back to our community. Finally, I would like to congratulate and thank the team at PIE for their astounding hard work and belief in us. It just goes to show the lengths with which young people are willing to go to support our society when we have grown ups who hear us and are willing to support our dreams. 

Artemis Riazinejad  

Megan Mayhew, Strategic Participation Leader from Stockport Council had this to say:

I was so excited to accompany an amazing group of young people to Westminster last week, where they received an award for their incredible work across Stockport.

Three years ago, I began working with a group of young people to explore how we could do things differently — to amplify their voices and make a real difference for young people across Stockport and their communities. I can’t believe the journey we’ve been on. Three wellbeing events, two youth summits, and thousands of views from young people on their experiences later… and here we are!

L!sten, Stockport’s Youth Alliance, were nominated for their positive impact on others and their community. They received the Dame Mary Parkins British Citizenship Youth Group Award — and what a day it was. I was so proud of the group — it was an honour to be part of the day. I spent a lot of it crying!

The young people also had the chance to meet Dame Natalie Bennett, who inspired the group and gifted them copies of her book. They also connected with James Cathcart from Young Voices Heard, who’s keen to showcase their work.

Before heading home, we squeezed in a visit to Covent Garden and the National Gallery. By the time we boarded the train back to Stockport, the young people (rightfully!) conked out.

I can’t thank PIE and the young people enough for their incredible work in Stockport. It was a joy and a privilege to share this special day with them.

Beth Collins, Founder and CEO of PIE said: “When we were first commissioned by Stockport Council to run a new Youth Alliance in April 2023, we couldn’t have imagined how much the group would achieve in just a couple of years. Thanks to the council’s support and the passion of the young people, an initiative to gather youth voice has grown into something truly impactful - shaping policy decisions, consulting regularly with local leaders, and directly benefiting young people through annual Youth Summits and Wellbeing Festivals. This award not only celebrates their incredible work but also highlights the importance of youth voice and consultation in all council activity. We’re so proud of the L!STEN group - past and present - and can’t wait to see what they do next!”

Sounds like an amazing day - congratulations to the whole L!STEN group, what a fantastic achievement!