Award For ‘Outstanding Contribution to the community’
Two youngsters from Nottingham were the recipients of Spirita’s award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community’ presented at the Young Black Achievers Awards 2007.
Elijah Skervin and Damien Ebanks, who are pupils at The Nottingham Emmanuel School, were both nominated by a teacher. They were presented with their award by Lesley Watson Community Initiatives Officer and local Spirita resident Ken Forde. This year Spirita sponsored the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community award, Spirita is one of the largest providers of housing and associated services in the region.
The judging panel, was made up of Spirita residents along with a member of staff, felt that both Elijah and Damien richly deserved their award in recognition of their commitment to supporting and encouraging others in their community.
Elijah Skervin is a Year 11 student, nominated for his contribution to the community both in and out of school. An active member of the Student Council, he was commended by numerous parents and teachers for his work experience at a local primary school. During his time there he helped run a Sports Day and worked with Years 1 and 2 supporting literacy and numeracy in the classroom. He was described by the parent of a Year 2 student as an "excellent ambassador" for the Nottingham Emmanuel School .
Elijah is currently an Assistant Tutor, helping Year 7 Tutors with administrative tasks such as checking planners and issuing reward stamps.
Damien Ebanks, also a Year 11 student, has made an outstanding contribution to the life and ethos of the school. An Assistant Tutor, working with Year 7 tutors to help with administrative tasks, he has built excellent relationships with the Year 7 students in his group, interacting with them during transition from primary school and afterwards to ensure that they have settled in well at secondary school.
He is an exceptionally positive student and is predicted to achieve As and Bs.
The Head of Music at the school says that he is one of the most naturally talented musicians he has ever taught.
Andrew Lanning, Chief Executive of Spirita, said that both Damian and Elijah had made a real difference to their communities and stood out in a field of strong contenders for the award. “It’s good to see young people helping and getting involved in their local communities. They find their involvement is rewarding and it certainly helps break barriers at many different levels.”
Spirita’s decision to sponsor the award was one of the outcomes of a series of Focus Groups with residents from its Black and Minority Ethnic communities who said that they would like to see the organisation working with them to them to bring about change within their own communities.
Mr Lanning continued: “It was apparent that education was a key issue, which is why we decided to sponsor this award, which is closely linked to schools in the area.”
The presentation took place at The Young Black Achievers Awards, held at Nottingham Playhouse. Black and dual heritage children aged between 5 and 18 years who are studying in Nottingham City were eligible for nomination.