Black Youth Achievements (BYA) Awards nominations are open

Black Youth Achievements (BYA) CIC is a community interest company based in London. Founded by Kay Oldroyd in October 2008 with the objective of creating opportunities for change for young people aged 8 – 25 and of African / Caribbean / Mixed Heritage in the UK. BYA will focus on positive events and experiences, to redress the balance of negative stereotypes and representations amongst this group.

In 2009 BYA hosted their first very successful event – ‘Black Youth Achievements – The Awards’, which saw 12 finalists out of 400 nominees receive an award. Some of the winners then started on the BYA Mentoring Programme, where they are receiving support from a range of professionals specific to their category. They can then choose to become Peer Mentors to the winner’s of the 2010 awards, creating an ongoing network.

‘Black Youth Achievements’ has a ten year plan which it sees will best support young people in reaching their full potential and help individuals to incorporate their skills, knowledge and talents, empowering their peers during the process. The aim is for young people to gain recognition and become part of the decision making process for their community to aid integration between services, businesses and wider communities.

Nominate a winner today.