On Wednesday 19th June, we came together for our first in person Age-Friendly Awards - an event run in partnership with Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of the UK’s largest housing association Clarion Housing Group, and the #iwill movement. This was a special evening celebrating some of the inspiring groups and individuals that are helping to build age-friendly communities across the UK.
We are pleased to share details of the winners below. We’d like to thank our Judging Panel, which included members of the #iwill Intergenerational Social Action Board as well as David Orr and Amy Lawson from Clarion Housing Group. It was a very tough decision and we’d like to extend our congratulations to everyone that was nominated - you’re all amazing!
Age-Friendliest Project
An intergenerational group that have gone above and beyond to make their community an age friendly place to live
Winner: April Chung and Forever Young, a Nottingham-based project providing befriending, activities and trips. Our Judging Panel was impressed with how older people in Nottingham travelled all over the city, purely to attend April’s sessions!
Best Media Award
An intergenerational group that’s used media to showcase their project to a wider audience (media could include video, podcast, social media)
Winner: The Digital Story and their hip hop music projects with Higham Hill and Banbury Park Housing Estate and Priory Court Housing Estate. Our Judging Panel was impressed with the creativity shown by these groups and loved listening to the experiences of the young people through their lyrics.
Creativity
An intergenerational group whose creativity levels are truly inspiring!
Winner: Gozan John, a young person that runs an intergenerational group at the Slough Hub that inspires connection through painting, crafts and dance. Our Judging Panel was impressed with how varied Gozan’s workshops were and how this creativity helped to promote community engagement and bridge generational divides.
Friendliest Neighbours
A group of younger or older people who go the extra mile to connect with people in their area from a different generation
Winner: Network Ryde, Ryde Town Council’s youth service that works with different groups to bridge generational gaps. Our Judging Panel was impressed with how many groups from different generations that Network Ryde Social Action Group had connected with, all to build a better and more age-inclusive community.
Intergenerational Superstar Award
Someone of any age who is an intergenerational trailblazer in their community
Winner: Jade Jaiyeola, the founder of MK Melting Pot, a Milton-Keynes based community project engaging young people, adults and families in healthy living activities. Our Judging Panel was impressed with the amazing work Jade does for her local community, ensuring that age and cultural inclusivity is at the heart of everything she does.
Lessons Learned Award
An intergenerational group or person who’s embraced lessons learned and celebrated growth through intergenerational work
Winner: Riff Atta, who is an active participant of InCommon’s intergenerational workshops and delivers a chair-based exercise class for his fellow residents. Our Judging Panel was impressed with how Riff had used learnings from his popular chair based exercise class to branch this out to other schemes.
Most Inclusive Award
An intergenerational group that’s gone out of its way to make their project inclusive and accessible so that more people can get involved in intergenerational work
Winner: Chichester Boys Club, a space for young people and adults to take part in interesting and fun activities. Our Judging Panel was impressed with how inclusivity was at the core of everything Chichester Boys Club did and how they had created a safe space for everyone to thrive.
Nature Guardian Award
An intergenerational group who has championed nature in every corner of their neighbourhood
Winner: Blenheim-Arpley Residents Association, a group of residents that volunteer to improve the area where they live. Our Judging Panel was impressed with the ‘guerilla gardening’ tactics of the residents and how Blenheim-Arpley Residents Association had engaged the local community in lots of different nature-focused activities.
Youth Worker
An outstanding Youth Leader who has worked hard to make connections with older people in their community
Winner: Ben Skelton, Youth Worker at Achieving for Children for championing intergenerational social action projects at Ham Youth Centre. Our Judging Panel was impressed by Ben’s contagious energy and ability to bridge generational divides, creating spaces where all generations feel valued.
Outstanding Scheme Manager
An outstanding Scheme Manager who has worked hard to make connections with young people in their community
Winner: Maryam Amin, a scheme manager that worked with Intergenerational Music-Making to support youth social action in Richmond. Our Judging Panel was impressed by how Maryam went above and beyond to support youth social action, even referring to her as a ‘Powerhouse’.
Here are some of the things our award winners said:
Chichester Boys Club, Most Inclusive Award - “A huge thank you to #iwill, Clarion Futures, and InCommon for showcasing our work, and to the amazing young people and older generation who made this possible. Your dedication and spirit are truly inspiring! Special thanks to Clarion Futures, especially Jane Haskins, for her belief in what the youth team does. We’re so grateful to be able to work with you to support our amazing community. We’re also excited about the new connections and partners we met tonight. Here’s to more collaborative efforts in creating inclusive communities for all ages!”
Gozan John, Creativity Award - “It was a privilege to shine at the Youth Social Action Awards! I am honoured to have won the Creativity Award. This recognition means a lot to me and fuels my passion for making a positive impact in our community. A huge thank you to InCommon, Clarion Housing Group, and The Slough Hub for your unwavering support in empowering young individuals to lead such impactful projects.”
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