Launch of the Active Citizenship
We launched the Individual Profile in Active Citizenship on Monday 11 December 2006 and what a successful day it was!
Not only did Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP help us launch the day but we were also able to reward the first 6 learners with a certificate for achieving this new learning programme.
It was an inspiring occasion where people from all backgrounds congregated and shared their own experiences and perspectives of what it means to be an active citizen.
Speakers included:
Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP focused on the concept of rewarding active citizenship. Click here to read her speech.
Michael Howell, City & Guilds chairman shared a history of City & Guilds.
Jennifer Bernard, City & Guilds Director discussed our interest in Active Citizenship.
Mike Felse, Chief Executive at Proud City in Salford, whose visions for active citizens produced this new learning programme shared his experiences.
Megan Meredith, External Affairs Director at Futurebuilders discussed their investment in Proud City.
The following people were presented with a certificate for their outstanding achievement on the new Profile:
Matthew Birch
Matt was a student at Salford University when he started reflecting on his Active Citizenship. During his journey he spoke at the Young Lives Today conference in Greater Manchester, explaining why all young people should be given their right to take part in the City & Guilds Active Citizenship. Matt said, "The individual recognition is an inner power that gives a feeling of respect". Matt feels the award is a good character builder and everyone at university and in schools must do the Active Citizenship Profile to build personal responsibility into their lives.
Trevor Burchick
Trevor was responsible for the development of PrideGames in Manchester attracting participants from across The Globe. Trevor has taken the lead in designing Team Leadership and Community Champion courses for Proud City as progression options for completers of the Active Citizenship Profile and is himself a medal winner in amateur swimming and in running, including raising money for local charities during the last two Greater Manchester (BUPA) marathons.
Les Thomas
Born in British Guyana on the northern coast of South America Les lived by the sea where everybody fished. In 1942 he left British Guyana to join the air force at the age of 20. On leaving the air force he moved to Manchester in 1948 where he met and married his wife Olive. Les is now aged 84 and is a well respected member of the Salford Community.
He keeps active in his community by helping others. He does gardening and line dancing but his real hobby is video filming which he did for Proud City during the City & Guilds photo shoot in Salford.
Stacey Sheldon
Our youngest Active Citizenship Awardee, Stacey has been involved in community events from the early age of 5.
Now aged 16, and attending college in Salford, Stacey continues to entertain local people of all ages with her glowing passion for taking part in performing arts and at cultural events. Stacey enjoyed reflecting on her past activities and was quick to decide the Active Citizenship was all about her journey. This helped Stacey to think seriously about the difficult options and challenges facing young people, while considering the reasons why communities need to have a serious side.
The Active Citizenship Profile means a lot, giving Stacey something back for all her courageous effort and inspired personal commitment, making her local community a happier place to live.
Bernadette Wright
Bernie was born in Salford and did the Active Citizenship Profile as part of her personal reflection and volunteers team motivation within The LHARA Club, a community based social enterprise using digital photography to explain the value of local life and provide a valuable asset in cataloguing modern local history.
Bernie has held exhibitions in Salford and Greater Manchester and feels the penny is beginning to drop with the so called hard to reach powers that be. These are listening and have started to realise the local people have feelings and rights.
Bernie's Active Citizenship journey included her picking up the Greater Manchester Community Champions "outstanding Achievement Award" from the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester and she was Highly Commended in The Edge Upstart Awards, presented by Ed Milliband MP, in London during 2006. Bernadette is keen to continue taking the Active Citizenship message to voluntary and community groups as an Ambassador of best practice and to explain to the neighbourhood planners how important it is to make sure all citizens' dreams come true.
Stephen Young
Steve Young is an experienced professional Mental Health consultant and community activist with a successful track record of enabling quality solutions for social enterprise, pubic services and the private sector.
He was the people's architect of The Angel Healthy Living Centre in Salford, being the first in a new generation of community based healthy living - wellbeing centres in the North West. Steve was the lead active learning mentor in establishing The School of Social Entrepreneurs in the North West where he inspired a diverse range of social enterprises.
Steve recently returned from Cyprus where he represented the UK at the European Active Citizenship Learning Conference and keenly remarks how much he now feels European after their welcoming experience.