By Gracie, 17 and Eoin, 17.
Earlier this month, Headliners attended NE Youth’s annual Impact Awards, which saw hundreds of people come together across the North East to celebrate the meaningful impact of youth work. This year also marked the 90th anniversary of NE Youth as a charity.
There were 14 awards in total, with a wide variety of charities and individuals up for awards. Some of the awards included Diversity Champion, Community Champion and Volunteer of the Year. Headliners was also nominated for a few awards, including Young Achiever, Most Improved and Partnership of the Year, which Headliners won with The Activity Den. The Activity Den is an organisation which works with young people in Stanley, County Durham.
The collaboration between Headliners and The Activity Den highlighted the mining heritage of County Durham and brought light to its rich history in the form of a podcast called The Last Miner.
“The young people at The Activity Den work incredibly hard, and this award shows that,” says Rob Austin, Senior Youth Worker at Headliners. “The collaboration between Headliners and The Activity Den has enhanced opportunities for young people in County Durham and gave a taste of what it’s like to work in media and journalism.”
The atmosphere was welcoming and vibrant as we were greeted with complimentary mocktails and sweets on the table. The event was also included for Neurodivergent people and catered towards sensory needs, with fidget toys on each table and a sensory room for those who felt overwhelmed.
The high energy was matched with the large number of young people in the room, and the ceremony catered to them with a lineup of young presenters and party games like Pass the Parcel and Heads or Tails.
“I enjoyed us winning!” said Eoin, 17. “I liked how diverse the room was, and this was matched with the awards given out.”
There were also some incredible young performers. Cheer group MK Dance opened the show with two routines. Singer Jack McQuillan introduced the crowd to songs from musicals like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Cabaret, and Room14 DofE Band honoured classics like Linger and Complicated.
“I really liked Jack’s performance,” said Gracie, 17. “I liked how new it was. It was nice to expand my knowledge of musicals.”
“This event is one of the highlights of the year for us,” says Rob, “The energy in the room was just brilliant!”
Who knows, hopefully Headliners will continue their winning streak at next years’ Youth Impact Awards.
This was created by young people as part of the Headliners Young Journalist programme. This project was made possible by the Million Hours Fund.
