In summer 2009 Devon County Council and our Devon Children’s Trust partners held the third annual Young People's Achievement Awards in the grounds of County Hall in Exeter.

The 2009 finalists with their certificates

The Devon Children’s Trust is a partnership between social care, education, health, community, voluntary and justice services working together to make a difference for Devon’s children and young people.

This fantastic event celebrated the achievements of young people aged 13-19 from across the county, and recognised their hard work and dedication in making themselves and their communities better.

Anyone could nominate a young person they know or work with who they think has worked hard to improve their lives, develop their skills and challenge expectations, and given their time and energy to make a difference in their school or community and inspire others.

From these nominations we invited finalists and their families to a ceremony in a marquee in the grounds of County Hall, where they received their certificates and winners were announced in the seven categories.

The categories are:

Healthy lives
Improving their own health or working to improve health services and information for others.

Staying safe
Keeping themselves safe or working to improve the safety of their school or community.

Education
Raising their own level of achievement and enjoyment or trying to improve education for others.

Participation
Getting involved in consultation activities and working to develop a positive image of young people and encouraging others to do the same.

Positive future
Taking responsibility for their own development and future employment or working to help others gain valuable skills and experiences.

Community
Working to make a difference in their local community and raising awareness of the positive contribution young people can make to society.

Groups
A group of young people who have worked together to make a difference in any of the award category areas.