Public Achievement Wins Prime Minister’s BIG Society Award
Resource type: News
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On 23rd April, 2012, Public Achievement won the Prime Minister’s BIG Society Award, making Public Achievement the first organisation in Northern Ireland to get this award.
The above clip is the presentation speech by Minister Hugo Swire at WIMPS HQ.
Presenting the BIG award on behalf of the PM, the minister explained why Public Achievement stood out, “I have seen how the organisation works with young people in ways which encourage active citizenship, particularly on working with communities that face social and economic disadvantage and many which have also been adversely affected by the former conflict and its legacy.”
Although the Prime Minister couldn’t make the presentation he congratulated Public Achievement on the award:
“Involving young people in their local communities and showing them how they can help to shape them has huge benefits not just for them but for society as a whole. We’ve recently launched the National Citizen Service to do just that but Public Achievement has been successfully involving young people in democracy for over ten years.
“This is a fantastic example of young people getting involved in the Big Society but I’m also pleased to see them helping to make government more transparent and accountable. It is important that everyone in a community is able to give their views on local transport, schools, leisure facilities and everything else that affects them and understanding how to do that is the first step in achieving this. Where is my Public Servant is helping young people in Northern Ireland to have their say in their local, national and international communities and I would like to congratulate them for their success in doing this.’’
Public Achievement is an Atlantic grantee.