We are now recruiting for the next BIG Challenge Youth Leadership Team...

Are you committed to social change?
Do you want to empower other young people?
Will you take up the leadership challenge?

The Youth Leadership Team make key decisions about the programme and support the BIG Challenge project winners. They are a group of inspirational young people who come from all over the UK, from a variety of backgrounds, with a range of skills and experiences that make up a diverse and lively group! Their advice ensures that the BIG Challenge focuses on what young people want and need today!

For more information about the Youth Leadership Team, please visit the BIG Challenge website.

If you are aged 16 to 25 and would like to apply, please download a role profile and application form here.

Once complete, please email it to Laura Baruch.

Or post it to:
Laura Baruch
Changemakers
New Loom House,
101 Backchurch Lane,
London
E1 1LU

The deadline for applications is Friday 1st May.

YO?TH LEADERSHIP TEAM...WE NEED U!

Win one of 25 pairs of New Puma Lift Trainers and have your say on the education system just by taking part in the speedy Youth Commission Survey...

The Edge Learner Forum wants young people around the country to give their views towards the Youth Commission – a nationwide investigation into the future of education in association with the Parliamentary Select Committee for Children Schools and Families. By doing so, you could be in with a chance of winning one of 25 pairs of New Puma Lift Trainers.

Click here to visit the Youth Commission website and to find out more.

Ilford dares young people to reach potential via volunteering

On Saturday 25th April 2009, from 12 - 6pm, the vinvolved East London Youth Action Team, Redbridge Youth Service, BTCV and Changemakers are organising an event to promote volunteering to young people in Redbridge. A youth worker from Redbridge Youth Service, which is sponsoring the venue, has been collaborating with Changemakers on the project. The event, entitled Million: Dare (to be all you can be) will be taking place at Ilford Town Hall, 128 - 142 High Road.

‘Million: Dare (to be all you can be)’ is a celebration of youth in the community. The aim is to engage volunteers to create an event, designed for young people, focusing on the arts and increasing their awareness of all the opportunities that are available to them in their own community. A secondary goal is to help the older generation to engage with young people and view them in a more positive light.

Young winners of £60,000 prize fund are announced

Eleven young people from across the UK have just found out that they have been selected from over 160 applicants to win part of a £60,000 prize fund, through the Big Challenge competition.

The competition, which launched in November 2008, asked for ideas from 16-25 year olds on how they could help other young people to lead more positive and healthy lives. The submissions were short-listed by a group of young people who volunteer with the programme, before the final short-list was put to a public vote on the Big Challenge website. After over 5,000 votes from the public the winners were revealed. The winners have won between £2,500 and £8,000, along with intensive support from UnLtd and Changemakers who manage the Big Challenge, to start up their projects.

Projects that have been funded vary from Kaysha who is going to run a recycling festival in Hackney to educate and inspire people to live their lives in a more environmentally friendly way, to Ryan in Rotherham who is going to tour a hip-hop theatre show with anti gang crime messages with follow- up workshops discouraging young people from joining gangs.

Kimby from Blairgowrie had this to say about winning: "I didn't think it was possible for me to achieve something like this. Winning part of the Big Challenge funding made me realise you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. I'm absolutely over the moon and grateful to everyone that supported me and I look forward to being able to help other young people that face similar issues to mine."

Abby Kegg, Big Challenge project manager at UnLtd, had this to say about the programme: “We have been so impressed with the quality of applications that have come in from young people across the UK. The winners are all very deserving not only because they have come up with brilliant ideas but they have also worked really hard to promote what they are doing to get the public voting for their projects.”

You can follow the progress of the winning projects via their project blogs on the Big Challenge website.