COVENTRY’S Positive Youth Foundation (PYF) celebrated the achievements of over 100 youngsters inspired by the Commonwealth Games at a special event at Albany Theatre.
Over 80 people who participated in PYF’s Gen 22 programme joined games representatives, members of Coventry City Council and Sport England to hand out prizes and take part in other activities.
As part of the celebrations, three Gen 22 participants also shared their reflective work on the games, with prizes including clothes, restaurant vouchers and four tickets to a Rugby League World Cup match at the CBS Arena.
The Gen22 programme was run by Birmingham 2022 and was launched to give young people a chance to get involved in the landmark event and showcase its benefits.
Over 100 people aged between 16 and 24 completed 30-hour creative social action assignments to help promote excitement for the games on their doorstep.
Activities included hosting community open days, a silent disco and creating videos and songs to bring people together for the games.
Krishan Singh, the foundation’s operations director, said: “It was a fantastic event, bringing so many people together to celebrate the work of young people on our Gen22 programme.
“The outcomes of these projects have been really inspiring and offered communities in our city the chance to engage in a global sporting spectacle and boost pride in their region, which proved to be an excellent host.
“While the games have come and gone, we hope the experiences our participants have had will inspire them to seek more meaningful engagement with their communities, give them a platform to access more purposeful opportunities, build new networks in their locality and ultimately boost their long-term employment prospects.”
