About 100 guests attended St James Centre for the ceremony, which saw the Lieutenant-Governor, General Sir John McColl, present awards to Alex Laignel (16), Morgan Murphy (17), April Langlois (17), Joshua Noel (20) and Sinead Donnelly (20).
Another nine youngsters were shortlisted for the awards, which are now in their second year and which celebrate the commitment, determination and personal achievement of those who have taken part in the trust’s programmes.
xl (14-16)
Winner: Alex Laignel.
Also nominated: Ryan Barras (17) and Robin Tucker (16)
xl (16-19)
Winner: Morgan Murphy.
Also nominated: Page Louis (17) and Liam Lane (19)
Get Started
Winner: April Langlois.
Also nominated: Michael Guégan (18)
Team
Winner: Joshua Noel.
Also nominated: James Nicolle (22) and Rebecca De Sousa (22)
Get Into
Winner: Sinead Donnelly.
Also nominated: Daniel Nicholson (19)
The awards were split across five categories to incorporate four of the trust’s programmes – Get Started, Team, Get Into and xl, which was split into age categories 14-16 and 16-19.
Miss Donnelly, who won the Get Into award, was ‘struggling to cope’ before starting the programme and had personal problems which meant that she lacked confidence and motivation. But she has now secured a full-time job as an administrator with property management and software specialists CPA Global, and also works part-time as a children’s entertainer at a hotel.
She said: ‘The Prince’s Trust really boosted my self-esteem and made me a more confident person.
‘This has helped me with my interview skills and speaking to people generally.’
Mr Noel, who won the Team award, initially struggled to find direction in his life and had underachieved at school.
However, after joining the programme, he developed his confidence and worked hard on the community project which led to a placement at an environmental company.
Nathan Le Mottée, a youth worker at the Prince’s Trust in Jersey said: ‘All our winners have come on incredible journeys and have excelled on our programmes.
‘The progress they have made has been tremendous and it was a very emotional night for both the recipients and their guests.’
Mr Laignel and Mr Morgan both found school life difficult and found it hard to engage and communicate during lessons and with their peers.
Since taking part in the programme, both have developed their confidence and have a more positive approach to work.
Miss Langlois, who won the Get Started award, found life very difficult, but after spending a week on the Get Started with Sailing programme, the 17-year-old’s confidence and self-esteem have grown and she now hopes to study criminology or law in the future.
Dermot Finch, regional director for the Prince’s Trust in the South, said: ‘The young people nominated for an award this year are truly inspirational.
‘They are shining examples of how, with a little support, young people can overcome difficult circumstances to achieve remarkable success.’
- The local Princes Trust programmes are delivered by the Jersey Youth Service
- The Team programme is for Islanders aged 16 to 25 who are unemployed. It is free to join and does not affect Jobseeker’s Allowance and is ideal for people who feel that a lack of confidence or qualifications are holding them back.
- On the course you are part of a team of 15 people
- Over 12 weeks you take on community projects of your choosing, have an action-packed residential week and get two weeks work experience
- The Get Started programme is for a series of short courses for Islanders aged 16 to 25 who are unemployed.
- On the course you get an intensive week of activities run by professional tutors. This could be in football, music and many more areas.
- The Get Into programme, also for unemployed people aged 16 to 25, involves intensive training and experience in a specific sector. This could be sport, construction, logistics, cooking, customer services – or one of many more.
- Find out more about the programmes here
