#NoGermsOnMe created a project which galvanised the local business community to join them in their fight against period poverty by donating sanitary items to young women in need in South Durham. The three young women made personal hygiene hampers and handed them out to young women in need at school.

A very creatively unique group name from these GEMS youngsters!

Living the Dream incorporated the theme of their project into their panel pitch as they dressed in their favourite Harry Potter outfits and filled the room with all things of Wizardry Wonders to help them tell their tale! Using 12 helium balloons they created 12 Hedwig the owls which were floating around the room, each containing an old scroll detailing which of the 12 Key Skills they had developed and how. Can you tell the theme of the project?

Although still a Key youngster working her way through The Key Framework, Mahnoor spends her free time supporting lots of young people through The Key Framework. Always happy to step in when Key Facilitators aren’t on hand, Mahnoor offers support, gives advice and encourages young people to keep going with their Key Projects.

A group of young people who helped to bring their community, both young and old together, to commemorate a special event travelled far and wide to seek inspiration and broaden their knowledge on the theme of their project. After a thorough planning stage, Lads Together sourced their own Tommy statue and added the finishing touches to their community garden that honoured the fallen soldiers of World War 1.

Hemlington Linx have been an incredibly active Key Member since joining The Key Network in 2017. Within their own organisation, they’ve supported over 200 young people to develop 45 of their own projects and benefitted nearly 600 members of the community. Outside of it, Hemlington Linx have sat on numerous panels for other Key Members, often on short notice, and have always been a supportive force within their local network of Key Members.
The judging panel were blown away with how innovative Hemlington Linx have been with introducing The Key Framework into their provision by using and adapting it to suit their work in their organisation, with schools, other youth groups and during detached work sessions. They’ve helped to inspire young people to design a variety of projects including social action and general key projects and are always sharing their activity on social media. The whole staff team at Hemlington Linx are communicative and have been helpful by checking regularly with The Key’s staff team whenever they need support or have a question, including having young people themselves contact us as part of their skills development.

Sara Mirsalehi, operational manager at Hemlington Linx, said: “We are delighted to be the recipient of the award and very much excited and looking forward to continuing our partnership with The Key as this is the most unique, exceptional and impactful opportunity for our organisation and young people.”

This group of young people took unique to the extreme with their project when the converted a local library into a laser tag battle zone. Giving everyone a chance to let their hair down this group overcame the challenge of finding a suitable venue for everyone’s needs by simply moving the goal posts to a traditional laser tag battle zone.

Forestry School impressed the judges with their exceptional evaluation. Taking inspiration from their forestry project, this group evaluated their project with a hand painted ‘Key Tree’ which was on display in the college. Each leaf cluster detailed the 12 Key skills the group had developed alongside quotes and images of the project. The level of detail and creativity included in this evaluation was unbelievable and it was clear to see just how much hard work and thought had went into it.

Project M came up with an innovative and unique solution to a problem that is affecting so many. Taking inspiration from the C Card, these young people came up with an idea of how they could help provide young women (aged 11-25) with the sanitary products they needed but couldn’t afford on their own. Their Key Project saw them produce an M Card which could be handed out in schools and youth clubs to girls who needed support in getting sanitary items.

With the M Card, girls and young women from across the region could visit their youth organisation and access free sanitary items including sanitary towels, underwear and more. The judging panel was blown away with the unique approach the group took. Creating something new from scratch, Project M really stretched their idea and pushed what they could achieve beyond the limits.

5 stars and the voice of little flowers stepped out of their comfort zones and overcame many barriers to provide a project for their community. The group didn’t let a language barrier stop them in their tracks but instead rose above it and challenged themselves to ring suppliers, speak to others in the community before pitching to panel. 5 stars and the voice of little flowers developed many key skills throughout the process and have displayed a new mentality throughout. Many staff members have commented on seeing such positive changes in the group and are excited to see how they progress further with The Key Framework.

Laura has worked effortlessly to enable young people to take part in The Key Framework. She has helped her youngsters to think about every aspect of a Key Project and challenged them to do it in a unique and creative way by helping them to think outside of the box and try new things with both their projects and at panel. She’s encouraged them to step away from the standard and think about things differently.
Laura is always willing to get the extra mile when supporting young people and is often giving up her own time to support the groups through the planning stages before helping to run visits off site voluntarily on an evening and on the weekend as she strives to never let a young person down.  It’s the positive attitude that Laura has for each and every young person that shines bright throughout The Key Framework and this has and her values that have made a massive impact on the children within the group and also the wider community.

Yohan were awarded Key Group of 2019 after a whirlwind Key Journey. The group planned ambitious project after ambitious project, helping to provide countless valuable and unique opportunities to young people in the community that helped to push them, and members of Yohan, out of their comfort zone to develop their skills and confidence.
For Yohan’s Stage 4 Key Project, they really wanted to do something beyond what they had done before. Inspired by the I Weigh movement, the group developed their own theatre workshop and show titled ‘I Weigh’. Aiming to help other young people build their own self-belief and skills whilst building friendships, Yohan toured the North of England delivering it in youth settings throughout.
Yohan thought of absolutely everything with their project. They delivered an incredibly interactive and detailed pitch to panel complete with a full budget breakdown that a finance manager would be proud of. They developed their own marketing plan and designed their own flyers. Secured multiple venues to host their workshops for free and planned their driving journey around the North. By the end of their tour, the group had delivered over 24 hours’ worth of workshops to over 130 young people in 4 different counties! The group really pushed themselves far with this project and worked hard to make sure that as many young people as possible had a positive experience that will help support them and have an impact on their future lives. It was this thinking and action that inspired the judging panel. We’re looking forward to seeing where the future takes them. Congratulations Yohan!