SKILLFORCE PRINCE’S AWARD

21^st  March 2015

LOCAL STUDENTS TRANSFORM THE GRACEMOUNT COMMUNITY CENTRE COMPUTER ROOM FOR THEIR SKILLFORCE PRINCE’S AWARD

Students from Gracemount High School & Liberton High School are participating in The Duke of Cambridge’s new national community award

A group of young people from both Gracemount High & Liberton High have shown their commitment to the local area by transforming the computer room inside the Gracemount Youth & Childrens Community Centre as part of the SkillForce Prince’s Award.

The Award – launched by education charity SkillForce, in conjunction with HRH The Duke of Cambridge – invites young people to work as a team to plan and implement a programme within 24 hours that will make a significant contribution to their community. 

The local challenge is one of over 30 taking place across the country and took place in the Gracemount Youth & Children’s Community Centre on the 19^th & 20^th of March 2015. The young people agreed amongst themselves the theme for the challenge having noted the computer room needed a revamp, this was something that could be improved through their collaboration and hard work. They then planned, budgeted and implemented the task themselves. B&Q were so generous and made this project possible by kindly donating the paint we needed to get this challenge completed, we couldn’t have done it without them & Motorsmiths Garage kindly donated the wooden boards for the Apps around the room. Two fantastic companies who have greatly helped the community challenge! 

All the young people who completed the challenge will receive the SkillForce Princes Award Certificate to place in their personal record of achievement at a ceremony in June 2015 that is to be held at Tynecastle High School to celebrate their achievements. 

The SkillForce Prince’s Award builds on the existing work of SkillForce locally. SkillForce is an educational charity that works in partnership with more than 150 schools in England, Scotland and Wales to help young people realise their individual potential and academic ability. SkillForce instructors have a wealth of skills and life experience, and thus are positive and empathetic role models. In many cases their expertise has been earned through service in our armed forces. Having served their countries they are now serving their communities to help pupils stay engaged with education and improve their future employability.

Youth centre representative Sagi Iluz: “It’s…wow, the room looks great, the kids have done a great job!

Regional SkillForce instructor Hannah Smith said: Through the SkillForce Prince’s Award the group have had a direct involvement in the Gracemount community and made their mark on the Community Centre, also known as The Mansion. By doing this award they have developed skills that will help them in their own future. I am extremely proud of the achievements they have made throughout the year and for the hard work, time and effort they all put into this project. It is a wonderful building and is used by so many groups, a fantastic place to have in the community”

In a message of support to the charity, the Duke of Cambridge said: "I am immensely proud to put my name to the SkillForce Prince’s Award. It rewards young people who have made an outstanding contribution to their community, encouraging them to go further to nurture their personal, professional or educational development.”

For more information, please contact Sheila Strickland on 0131 629 4801 or sheila.strickland @skillforce.org

Notes to editors

·         SkillForce is an educational charity that works in partnership with more than 150 schools in England and Scotland to help young people realise their individual potential and academic ability. It makes a profound difference to their lives – tackling exclusions, increasing academic performance and boosting confidence amongst the pupils it works with.

·         SkillForce has been working in partnership with schools to improve the performance of young people since 2004. Many staff are ex-service men and women who use their extensive life experience and leadership skills to help pupils stay engaged with education and improve their future employability.

·         SkillForce is celebrating 10 years of Inspiring Young People To Succeed. Over the past 10 years, we have worked with over 50,000 young people in schools raising attainment, improved life chances and taught employability skills. Looking forward, in the next 10 years, we aspire to work with over 100,000 young people.