PEEK, Govan High School, and Police Scotland walked away with the top prize in the Inclusion & Prevention category for an innovative partnership that is changing lives in the west of Glasgow.
PEEK partnered with Govan High School on an intervention project targeting young people who were disengaged from school and were already known to Police Scotland. The positive impact of the project was remarkable. By the end of the programme, police interventions with young people decreased by 82%, school incidents reduced by 75%, and participation in after-school clubs increased by 55%. PEEK CEO Michaela Collins blogs for us about their #YLSAwards experience.
The ‘Your Choice’ Project, conducted in collaboration with Govan High School and Police Scotland, spanned a transformative 16-week period. Utilising insights from the police database, we identified the crimes in the community committed by young people and crafted tailored workshops to confront these issues and tackle anti-social behaviour.
The workshop topics ranged from addressing knife crime and sectarianism to exploring issues like gambling, fire safety, domestic violence, first aid, controlled aggression, and discipline through sports. As part of the experience, the young people had the opportunity to visit Cathcart Police Station and the PEEK office, developing their understanding of behaviours leading to crimes.
At the end of the project, all our young people were presented with a Dynamic Youth and Hi-5 Award. The pride on their faces said it all, demonstrating their personal growth and enhanced connections within the school community. All the adults involved in the project were so proud of them that we could see massive changes in their behaviour.
One parent said “There has been a dramatic change in my boy at home and when going out. We have a new boy now.”
On the night of the National Youth Work Awards, we arrived feeling excited. We nervously waited for our category to be called, feeling both excited and apprehensive about the possibility of winning – and having to dance to the stage to collect our award! – but it was all part of the fun.
Throughout the evening, we sat at the table with the other nominees, listening to them talk about their inspiring projects and hearing their stories presented on stage. We felt honoured to even be nominated for the award.
Finally, our category was announced, and the wait for the winner to be announced made our stomachs fill with butterflies. And the winner is… PEEK, Govan High School, and Police Scotland!
We strutted up to the stage to collect our award with pride. It was a win for collaborative efforts, for the impactful partnership with Govan High School and Police Scotland, and a credit to the positive impact the teams and workshops had on the young people.
The significance of this award extended beyond the glamorous evening, it marked PEEK’s first-ever award in partnership with Govan High School and Police Scotland. The recognition emphasised the success of the Your Choice Programme and the dedication to the young people who took part. The evening of celebration was a well-deserved acknowledgement of the hard work invested in making a positive difference in the lives of the young men involved in the project.
PEEK’s CEO Michaela Collins, MBE said of winning the award: “We are incredibly proud to work in partnership with Govan High School and Police Scotland on the Your Choice Programme and to continue developing the project based on the needs and wants of the young people. This is true collaboration across sectors with vision to improving life chances of young people in Govan”.
Since winning this award, PEEK, Govan High School and Police Scotland have completed two more blocks with 20 young people.
Moving forward, young people from the first project will now act as mentors for the new groups. We will also be adapting the group to work with young females.
We’re proud to continue improving life chances, and to see the young people be more involved in the school community, extra curriculum and making healthy informed choices.