Around 400 people attended the prestigious Youth Awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of young people and youth workers from right across Northern Ireland. The event, held in the Ramada Hotel in Belfast, was hosted by CityBeats, Mairead Campbell and featured a surprise appearance and performance from popular X-factor star Eoghan Quigg.
Now in their fourth year, the awards recognise the commitment, success, talents and energy of young people and those who work with them. Sponsored by the Department of Education, the Youth Council for Northern Ireland and the Public Health Agency, the Awards were open to both individuals and groups in the eight categories of: Volunteering, Peace Building, Innovation, International work, Inclusion, Health Promotion work and Outstanding Achievement, and this year's new category for Intergenerational Achievement.
Karen Witherspoon, from the Youth Council for Northern Ireland, the Awards organiser said, "Each year the Youth Awards become more and more popular and this year was no exception. We had double the amount of entries from 2008 so this made the judges' decisions even more difficult as each group is worthy of recognition for their hard-work and contribution to their local communities. We were very impressed with the high standard and diverse range of entries and these Awards prove that the young people of Northern Ireland can really make a difference to society and demonstrates the outstanding positive work they carry out across the province. Of course this work would not be possible without the help and support of their mentors, so this ceremony was also an opportunity to celebrate the dedication of the extensive network of around 20,000 adult volunteers and paid youth workers who devote their time to helping the youth of Northern Ireland".
