RG was nominated for the award by Paul Wright for her fantastic commitment towards the Onside + programme.

Paul said…

I felt that RG strongly deserved this award. Since I first started working with her during the delivery of the Onside + programme at Meadow Park PRU, she has continually impressed me with her desire to learn and her involvement.

Given that Meadow Park is a ‘Pupil Referral Unit’, I believed my time there would be challenging. However, how wrong I was, as the desire and commitment that RG has shown, has demonstrated to me that she is such a bright and enthusiastic pupil, with a vast knowledge that has not only impressed me - but has helped massively with the engagement from the rest of the class. RG will always encourage her other class members to listen and get engaged, which is a massive help at times and is also a testament to RG’s desire to learn. RG sometimes describes things differently, so that her peers then grasp and understand the topic being discussed. The descriptions and explanations are fantastic, as I have already mentioned, RG continuously impresses me.

The engagement and enthusiasm shown by RG are so important, as the Onside + programme focuses on County Lines and Child Criminal Exploitation, which is sadly so relevant amongst young people, who are all unfortunately, at risk of being exploited.

The knowledge that RG and the other young people take away from the session, I hope will help keep them and others safe, and ultimately could stop them from getting into dangerous situations or a criminal record and potentially being sent into custody.

As well as learning about County Lines and Child Criminal Exploitation, the young people have identified issues within their communities. The class voted on an issue that they want to focus on raising awareness of and decided that it should be ‘Abuse and Suicide’, as they feel it is not spoken about enough, and yet it is a growing issue.

Again, I believe that RG played an influential role throughout the planning of how awareness could be raised. During discussions of how they could raise awareness, it was decided to create a piece of work, that not only will help individuals now - but can be a legacy for others in the future.

During discussions with teachers from Meadow Park, it has been brought to my attention how well RG has taken to the programme. Miss Hudson, RG’s teacher states:

"We are thrilled that RG has been selected for 'Champion of the Month'. Over the past 10 weeks, RG has continuously demonstrated her commitment to the Onside + Project and we have been very impressed with her exceptional communication and leadership skills. RG always embodies our school values through her kindness, patience and determination and this project has been no different. She has worked incredibly hard, and we are very proud of her.

We hope that in the not-too-distant future, RG will return to mainstream schooling, where she can reach his full potential and continue a positive pathway. Congratulations RG and we can’t wait to see where the future takes you!