Howick Local Board recognises youth achievements at youth council event

For the first time, a spotlight has been shone on the unrecognised achievements in the youth of Botany, Ormiston, Howick and Pakuranga at the inaugural East Auckland Youth Awards — an event organised by the Howick Youth Council (HYC).

The awards, which are supported by the Howick Local Board, were held on Saturday evening and saw the celebration of achievements in the categories of sporting, arts, the environment, leadership, service and community. Judging was conducted anonymously and done in collaboration with the local board.

Newly inaugurated chair of the board, Adele White, spoke a few words in support of the event with local board members David Collins, Katrina Bungard, Bo Burns and John Spiller helping present awards to prizewinners.

The ceremony, held at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club in Half Moon Bay Marina, also featured a musical performance by Mary Colmenar, a talented young musician who also featured in the youth council’s East Auckland Performing Arts Showcase.

The following are the prizewinners of the 2019 East Auckland Youth Awards:
The Sporting Achievement Award was presented for significant success in sporting pursuits — this may have been regional, national or leadership success in their chosen sport. Nicola Bebelman won this award for her achievements in the world of ice figure skating. Runner-up: Bryan Shi.

The Cultural Pursuits Award was presented for demonstrating a high calibre of skill while participating in cultural activities. This was awarded to Selena Guo, for her numerous leadership contributions to cultural activities within her school. Runner-up: Alanah Munn.

The Arts Achievement Award was presented for significant success in both the visual and performing arts. The winner of this award went to the ZEAL Barbershop Quartet, an acapella group formed in 2015 who have competed in numerous national competitions. Runner-up: Xixi Lin.

The Environmental Award was presented for demonstrating a willingness and commitment to the service of the local environment during 2019. This was also awarded to Selena Guo, for her numerous leadership contributions to environmental action within her school. Runner-up: Abigail Lowe.

The Service to the Community Award was presented for demonstrating a willingness and commitment to the service of others. This award was shared between two winners, Alchimae Prasad-Khan and Hussein Al-Rufaie. Runner-up: Mikayla Madden-Snoad.

The Community Leadership Award was presented to a young person who demonstrated leadership within their communities in 2019. The winner of this award was Henry Lockhart for his work within his school, as a prefect and student representative. Runner-up: Selena Guo.

The Project Award was presented to a group or young person who demonstrated entrepreneurial skills in running a project to benefit the local community. This was awarded to Millad Rashidi for his work in the local community.

From the prizewinners above, one young person was also judged to be East Auckland’s Young Person of the Year. This award was presented to a young East Aucklander who excelled at a high level in multiple pursuits.

Based on this criteria, East Auckland’s Young Person of the Year for 2019 was presented to Selena Guo for her contributions to cultural pursuits, environmental action, and leadership within her community. Runner-up for this award was Mikayla Madden-Snoad.

The Howick Youth Council would like to thank the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club for hosting us and the Howick Local Board for their generous continued support of events like this.

To learn more about the Howick Youth Council or to get in touch, check out our new website: http://howickyouthcouncil.org.nz

The Howick Youth Council is a collective of passionate young individuals striving to make Howick, Botany, Ormiston, and Pakuranga a more attractive and vibrant place for its young people. We operate under the Howick Local Board with an aim to connect, develop and represent young people in the East Auckland area through running a variety of events and ensuring youth voices are heard in the decisions that shape our city.

ENDS

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