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Young People were celebrated at the first annual Youth Awards at a Town Hall ceremony on Wednesday 2 November, hosted by Young Hackney. Mayor Philip Glanville was on hand to open the awards and congratulate young people for all their hard work

Over 80 young people were nominated for the awards, with nominations made by youth workers and other professionals working with young people.

Nominations were reviewed by an independent panel of young people, who also got together to organise the whole event, which saw speeches from Bobby Rich, British Judo Champion and performances from local musicians.

There were 14 winners overall with awards ranging from volunteering and sports to overcoming adversity.

Maria Nikolova, 17, who shared two awards for her work in the Justice League of Hackney and the Youth Opportunity Fund said “I think it’s really empowering to help young people. I’m happy that young people played a big part in organising the event. It’s great to acknowledge young people’s achievements.”

The Justice League of Hackney is project that works with young people to determine their views on conflict and reconciliation. The team are making a video to share with other young people on how to use restorative practice to solve conflict and settle disputes.

Skye Fitzgerald McShane, 15, who won the award along with Maria for her work on The Justice League of Hackney, felt proud to receive her award, she said: “I thought it was really cool. I found out about lots of other projects, ambassadors and volunteers. There are loads of young people who do interesting and helpful things for the community, but they don’t always get the credit they deserve.”