THERE was a black tie affair and thanks from Pudsey Bear for Coventry’s Positive Youth Foundation (PYF) as it celebrated ten years of helping the city’s young people.
The foundation, which has supported thousands of young people through its engagement and education programmes since 2012, welcomed over 100 guests to a black-tie event at the Village Hotel.
Trustees including patrons Sir John Egan, Andrew Jack and co-founder Vince Mayne joined over 30 youngsters, with the evening seeing young poet Abdi, 17, take the stage to showcase his talents.
Prizes were also handed out to celebrate youngsters who have thrived through PYFs programmes.
Chief executive Rashid Bhayat hosted a charity auction and there was a spoken word performance from PYF member Aicha Bamba.
Rashid said: “The charity would not be in the place it is today without many people who have worked so hard to ensure its success, keeping us motivated and always wanting to improve our offer for young people.
“It’s a huge credit to our young people who have joined us on the night, with some delivering incredible performances to a room full of people.
“They have truly stepped out of their comfort zone, as attending a black-tie event with some hugely influential public figures is not something that happens every day, and I hope that everyone that joined us has left wanting to make a difference to the life of a young person.”
On the same night, PYF was featured on BBC’s Children In Need for its work helping young people who have recently arrived in the UK to integrate, something they have worked on since 2016.
The video on Children in Need’s annual fund-raising show told the stories of Ghalia, Noorullah and Youssef, who left their home countries in search of safety in the UK.
Sessions at Positive Youth Foundation helped them deal with their feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Programmes Manager Obayed Hussain said: “The youngsters and their families were so excited to be on the BBC, it was a really nice moment and gave them a chance to explain where they come from, their experiences and challenges and to celebrate the welcoming and inclusive city Coventry is.”
