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The Elgin Youth Development Group (EYDG), better known locally as the group running the Elgin Youth Café, achieved national recognition last week by winning the Community Based Youth Work Award at the YouthLink Scotland Awards. The award recognises the importance of taking a community based approach to youth work.
Sarah Fiske, who was there to receive the award explained what the win means: “It’s been an amazing week for the youth team and young people. It was so inspiring to meet all the other youth projects at the Award Ceremony. I was really inspired by their great work and very surprised to win.
“I feel proud to be part of this team and to bring the Award back to Elgin and share our success with our young people. They always give their very best to the project and I’m delighted they were also winners at the Moray Young Citizen’s Awards.”
The Year of Young People Team received the Highly Commended Award in the Community Group category. Two of the members – Aidan Henderson and Nathan Anderson – were also nominated for the Individual Award, with Nathan winning a Commendation and Aidan striking gold by winning the category.
Friday night was also a big night for another Year of Young People team member Emily Burns as she organised a Talent Show at Elgin Academy raising over £500 for her trip to South Africa in July, where she will teach poetry and literature at local schools.
Speaking of their young people’s achievements Carol MacLennan EYDG’s Youth Team Manager said: “We are incredibly proud of the work we do, providing a safe social space and personal development opportunities for the young people of Elgin and the wider Moray community.
“More importantly, we are proud of the way our young people challenge themselves and achieve so much. They are the heart of our organisation and it is their tenacity and spirit that inspires us to develop new projects, allowing them to fulfil their potential.”
It’s a great start to a significant year for the Elgin Youth Development Group, who will be celebrating their 21st anniversary with a variety of events throughout the year.
Elgin Youth Development Group was established in 1998, with the mission of providing a safe social space for young people in the Elgin area. With aid from The Inkwell (their room hire service and Community Kitchen) they have expanded to provide personal development opportunities for people from all social, economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds in the Moray area.
More information on their work is available on www.elginyouthcafe.org