A massive well done to Skills student Lily who was named an award winner at the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Star Awards.
Picking up the Making a Difference Award, felt like just the right title for the 16-year-old who commits endless time and dedication to helping others.
Passionate about giving young people a voice, Lily volunteers with Care to Dance, a social enterprise that uses dance to support children in our care and care-experienced young people to help them express themselves and feel a sense of belonging and freedom. She is also part of the Care to Dance youth board.
Studying health, social and childcare at The Skills Academy, Lily also plays a part in Let’s Take Action, a group giving children and young people the chance to shape and influence services in Stockton-on-Tees.
And added to all that she is a young leader at a local beaver scouts and cubs group.
“I like to keep myself busy,” said Lily, who says her volunteer work started with the aim of building new skills and making new friends. But behind that is also an unshakable drive to have her views heard and truly make a difference.
Describing being nominated for the award as, “a big shock,” when it came to the awards ceremony she said: “When they called out my name I couldn’t believe it.”
Lily was presented the Star Award from Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s director of children’s services, Majella McCarthy.
After joining The Skills Academy in September, Lily is also working towards her English and maths qualifications and is determined to ultimately achieve her goal of working in safeguarding and behaviour at a secondary school. The 16-year-old’s advice to all young people is: “You should never feel ashamed of who you are. At the end of the day everybody is the same, people just have different backgrounds.”