Young people can often be unfairly stereotyped or judged, but 2018 is the year where all this changes. 2018 is the year for young people to celebrate their skills, 2018 is the year for young people to showcase their talents, 2018 is the year for young people to let their voice be heard.
2018 is the Year of Young People.
West College Scotland has been working to commend the efforts of our young students and members of staff. Nominations have been coming in since September for six categories, as suggested by the Scottish Government.
Iain Forster-Smith, Director of Student Services & Communities said of our involvement in the awards,
“WCS were delighted support Year of the Young People 2018. Whether the nominees were being recognised for their creativity, being academically gifted or not being afraid to stand up for what is right, we wanted to hear your stories and we certainly did!”
- Iain Forster-Smith, Director of Student Services & Communities
We are delighted to be able to announce winners in the following categories:
Culture: Lauren McGichen - HND Social Sciences, Paisley
Lauren was recognised for her voluntary work which has seen her successfully launch the Phoenix Youth Theatre, a not-for-profit company, to encourage young people in the local area to participate in the arts. She overcame some difficult challenges in the set up stages and successfully put on their first production of ‘Annie Junior’ earlier this year.
Education: Kieran Laing - HNC Cyber Security- Greenock
In recognition of Kieran’s efforts as HNC Cyber Security class representative – a role in which he has utilised his interpersonal skills and experience of studying at the College to help his peers.
Enterprise and regeneration: Danny Walls - MIS Technical Administrator, Paisley
WCS was delighted to recognise one of our young team members. Danny, who received the award following a nomination from colleagues, demonstrated a consistently positive and conscientious work ethic. His ability to continually innovate processes and procedures has helped improve performance and efficiency within the College and he was recently voted in as the Support Staff representative on the Board of Management by his peers.
Equality and discrimination: Taylor Greaves - NC Level 5 Social Sciences, Paisley
Taylor’s continual commitment to defending and extending the rights of the LGBT community and campaigning to improve mental health awareness has seen him receive this award. Taylor said that he wanted to highlight that “there is a voice for young people and a safe environment they can confide in with their peers at work or in education”.
Health and wellbeing: Kirsty Steel - HNC Accounting, Clydebank
Kirsty has been recognised for overcoming her own personal health challenges and using her own experience to help others to achieve their own goals of living a happier and healthier lifestyles.
Participation: Erin Murdoch - Begin Beauty Therapy, Greenock
The Participation Award was bestowed on Erin in recognition of her efforts in the class representative role over the past three years. Erin is committed to enhancing the student experience at the College for herself and her peers.
Well Done to all our winners! To find out more about the Year of the Young People visit - https://yoyp2018.scot/