Portsmouth's young people celebrated at fourth annual Youth Awards
Spotlight is shone on the many different ways the younger generation are making a positive contribution to the city
Portsmouth’s young people took centre stage as the city came together to celebrate their outstanding achievements, creativity and resilience.
Hosted by city-based charity URBOND, young people, families, community organisations, local leaders, partners and supporters came together for the fourth annual Portsmouth Youth Awards at the Kings Theatre in Southsea.
Held as part of the Portsmouth100 centenary celebrations, the awards recognised young people who have demonstrated achievements across a wide range of areas including community, creativity, sport, education, leadership and personal development, shining a light on the many different ways they are making a positive contribution to the city.
The awards were presented to:
- Kat Meredith - Music Fusion
- Denzel Aigbe - Sportsmanship
- Ruth Akinmukomi - Role Model
- Kiefer Msoma - Leadership
- Charlie Milner - Portsmouth Force
- Richard Mwangi Miano - Work Experience
- The Common - Creativity
- Jaffy Bamweyana - Most Improved
- Rodley Nain - Portsmouth City of Sanctuary
- Ethan Tchamgoue - Student Recognition
- Ayah Abdallah - Visionary
- Alfie Banister - Pompey in the Community
- Harry Pink - Motiv8
- Daniel Wake - The Young Creatives
- Ogwuche Emmanuel - Arts & Music
- Ishaan Nath Modak - Community
- Moyinoluwa Adeyeni - Unloc
- Freya Scowen - Andrew Simpson Foundation
- Joel Vallance - URBOND Award
Each winner had their own unique story of achievement, determination and contribution, with the awards providing an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the qualities that make Portsmouth’s young people such an important part of the city’s future.
The evening was made even more special by the number of community leaders who joined in the event to present the awards. Special guests included the Deputy Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Suzy Horton, Portsmouth FC footballer Marlon Pack, the High Sheriff of Hampshire William Maltby and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Alex Rennie.
And the celebrations were backed by incredible line-up of live performances from Halt Band, Ruth, Eman, Jenelle, Jacob and The Common, showcasing the wealth of creative and musical talent among Portsmouth’s young people.
Ousmane Drame, URBOND CEO, said: “The Portsmouth Youth Awards are about more than celebrating achievement, they are about recognising potential, resilience and the power of believing in young people. This year, we’ve seen remarkable stories of transformation, with young people overcoming significant challenges and choosing to create positive futures for themselves. That is exactly why this work matters.
“Together, we are creating opportunities, changing perceptions and helping young people believe in what they can achieve. That is something worth celebrating.”-
The Youth Awards form part of URBOND’s wider Youth Development work, which creates opportunities for young people across Portsmouth through youth clubs, mentoring, sport, creative activities, workshops, education and its Youth Ambassador programme. The event also saw the official launch of The Adventurous Mr Nibbles, a book created by young people working with the URBOND team.