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Young Role Models
A fantastic role model
We turn the spotlight on Dwayne Fields who is trekking to the North Pole and needs your help to raise vital money for the trip
Trekking for Change
Name: DWAYNE FIELDS
Age: 25
Dwayne Fields, 25, will attempt to be the first Jamaican to conquer the magnetic North Pole in May 2010 to raise awareness of inner city issues in the UK and to lead by example showing that there is ‘another way’ for underprivileged young people today.
As Dwayne highlights: "I grew up in 'gang land' London surrounded by gun and knife crime, and feel that many people get into this way of life as it’s what’s expected by their peers. By trekking to the North Pole, I am stepping outside of this box and want to show people that anything is possible, whatever your background."
Supported by his employer, Barclays Bank, and raising funds for 'Action For Children' to combat gun and knife crime, Dwayne is set to take part in the 6th year of the Polar Challenge 2010 race.
The race was initially set up to commemorate the first explorers to reach the North Pole on the 6th of April 1909, the Americans duo Peary & Henson and it is now one of the most famous as well as one of the toughest and most extreme endurance races in the world. Top Gear has made a programme about it, names such as Richard Dunwoody* and Hannah Shields** have completed it and annually it sees an International field of competitors in teams of three racing 320 nautical miles on cross-country skis, pulling sledges containing all of their food, fuel and equipment
Race organizer Tony Martin comments: "We’re delighted to have Dwayne in the race and he personifies what Polar Challenge is all about – the chance for individuals from all walks of life who have physical stamina, mental endurance and the desire to achieve something extraordinary."
For further information, or to interview or support Dwayne, please see: www.polar-challenge.com or contact Liz Ampairee 0773 333 1945. www.actionforchildren.org.uk .
*Richard Dunwoody MBE – Three times Champion Jockey and Polar Explorer ** Hannah Shields – Commonwealth athlete and the first Northern Irish woman to scale Everest.
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Youth taking charge
Name: Whitley Sutherland
Age: 16
Nominated by: Carlene Firmin
Whitley recently achieved 14 GCSEs, 9 of which were grade As and 2 A Plus level.
She was recently commended at an official event in Wandsworth Town Hall as one of the highest achieving pupils in the borough of Wandsworth for 2008.
Whitley has achieved all of this despite having to overcome some extreme circumstances. When she was 13 her mother passed away from Chromes Disease after years of long and often traumatic suffering.
To compound the situation at the same she had to deal with her father being away as a result of serving a Prison Sentence. This left Whitely with the pressure and responsibility of often having to carry out the parenting duties for her little sister and acting as a Child Carer to her mother when she was incapacitated.
Whitley managed to cope with all of this while maintaining her education.
Since her fathers release Whitley has gone on to become a Peer Mentor for social enterprise Foundation 4 life working with young offenders and other young people who are vulnerable or at risk.
She is an inspiration to so many young people who she has worked with, as well as adult colleagues who she encounters. The work that Whitley is involved in often means working at a number of Anti Knife Youth Events. It is wonderful to know that she can reach out to so many young people as an example of someone who has overcome adversity to over-achieve. She is a positive and encouraging role model to her peers, and an eye-opener to all of those who opt to criticize rather than commend young people and their achievements.
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If you would like to nominate someone for Young Person of the Month email peaceonthestreets@choicefm.com
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Name: Chris Preddie
Age: 16
21-year old Chris Preddie was involved in gangs, guns and drugs until the age of 16, when his brother was murdered in a drug-fuelled shoot-out. Turning his life around through grief and tragedy, Chris became a youth worker and the first Crimestoppers Community Champion in 2008.
At end of 2008 Chris became a part-time employee of the charity to help promote the new 'Know someone with a knife' text campaign to young people in schools across London where there is significant knife crime issue using his unique workshop approach.
Chris is using his personal experiences of growing up on a tough inner-city estate, where gang rivalries were the norm, to reach young, disaffected people who are acutely mistrustful of the police. His workshops attempt to persuade these young people that there is an alternative way of doing the right thing by passing on information about knife crime anonymously to Crimestoppers. He also demonstrates the meaning of anonymity.
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The next Obama?
Name: Acie Marshal
Age: 19
Nominated by: Umar kankiya
At 19, Acie Marshal is the MYP for Chelsea and Kensington, has a place at Harvard University and will be working over the next three years with President elect Barack Obama.
Acie came over to the UK about 3 years ago from Zimbabwe, having lost his mother to the fighting that was taking place there and came over to London without any money or relatives that he could turn to. He was homeless for a period of time, before he discovered his mentor who took him in, and helped to get him involved with opportunities in terms of school etc.
Acie went on to school / college, and has just recently completed his A Levels. In January 2008, he was elected as the MYP for Kensington and Chelsea to the UK Youth Parliament, and has come on leaps and bounds locally, regionally and nationally in his short time with being involved with the UK Youth Parliament.
On a local level, he runs a regular debating session for young people in Kensington and Chelsea every Monday, giving young people the opportunity to learn about debating skills and have regular debating competitions. As well as this, he has hosted various community events in the borough, inviting members of the police, councillors and MP's to events around the issues facing young people in Kensington and Chelsea.
On a National level, Acie was selected by the London Region to debate on the regional campaign that was put forward to be considered as one of the 14 campaigns to be selected to form the 3 national campaigns of the UKYP. The region selected recycling as the campaign, and Acie gave another impassioned speech which saw it elected first by the rest of the MYP's present at the House of Lords (which was the first time that a group of elected young people were allowed to sit and debate in the chamber)
Away from the UK Youth Parliament, Acie was offered a scholarship to Harvard University to start in 2009, however he has deferred his entry until 2010, as he plans to go back to Zimbabwe to do some humanitarian work before he flies back to America to start his degree.
Overall, Acie is an example of a young person who has faced hardship in his life, in another country, and came over to the UK, and has been able to turn his life around, whilst helping others and now is going to be starting a new chapter in his life and hopefully bringing more success for himself and his young son for the future.
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