CSSP awarded prestigious Community Award 2011
The Crescent Summer School Project 2011 (CSSP) awarded the Community Award 2011 under the following category:
Action in the Community Award
CSSP has also been awarded the Overall Winner of all 15 categories of Community Award 2011
CSSP volunteer Mushin Raquib runner up in the Young Hero Award
The Community Award 2011 evening was held at the new building of Venue Central in Leagrave Road, Luton on Friday 4th November 2011 attended by 500 people from all backgrounds. Guests included Cllr Hazel Simmons, Leader of Luton Borough Council, Gavin Shuker mp, Kelvin Hopkins mp, Mayor of Luton, Cllr Don Wordling and representatives from voluntary and public sector.
Crescent summer school project was the winner for Action in the community category and also the overall winner of all the 15 categories of community awards 2011.
Crescent Summer School Project has been successful running for 22 years; the project was set up for young people by young people. The project offers the young people from the community to access a four weeks Summer Scheme, providing them with educational and recreational activities in a safe & friendly environment. The project empowers young people, as it is young people led. “It is by young for young people.” It provides the young people with volunteering experiences and work experiences for older youths, in the community and neighbouring wards. It provides the youths with life experiences and leads them into paid work.
Over 250 young people took part in this year’s 4-week programme of activities of an educational and recreational nature. The aim is to provide young people with a constructive programme of activities (during the summer holidays) to help them develop into mature individuals and good citizens.
It provides young people an opportunity to take part in activities and outings that they would normally not have access to. It allows young people to discuss and tackle issues on crime, community cohesion, drugs, bulling, truancy and issues surrounding anti-social behaviour. Such topics are tackled through workshops and creative arts such as drama, poetry, painting, photography and filming.
The above activities give young people confidence to make more informed decisions and increase their capability to deal with issues relating to substance misuse and anti-social behaviour. Through this project we hope to achieve better citizenship amongst young people in terms of how they conduct themselves and a reduction in anti-social behaviour.
This year the project attracted vast majority of participant from various backgrounds who took part in the Crescent Summer School. 50% of the participants were from Bangladeshi & Pakistani background and the others were from Somali, Black African, Algerian, French and European.
Due the mix group of young people accessing the project, it allowed young people to appreciate the different diversity and culture within the community. This enabled young people to share and learn about each other’s culture and way of life.
This year the Summer School Participants and volunteers wanted to make a positive contribution to their local community. They decided to fundraise for Luton & Dunstable Hospital, Cardiac Centre Appeal. Along, with the fundraising they wanted to raise awareness of the coronary heart diseases within the BME communities.
Young people had experienced or knew someone within their family or community that have suffered from coronary heart diseases. Due to this fact, they felt they needed to contribute to this appeal. They organised a fun day at CYCD, which attracted 500 people from the local community. The fun day enable to provide information about the coronary heart diseases and also raised two hundred and seventy eight pounds fifty.
CSSP coordinator Abdul Halim said “we are extremely delighted to receive this community award and for judges to recognise the positive difference the project makes in young people lives”
Mushin Raquib volunteer from CSSP also received the runners up award in Young Hero category. He said “I have been volunteering with CSSP for the last 3 years and gained so much experience in working with young people” .
The award evening ended with a three course meal and a light entertainment.
