Young Aawaz Newsletter - July 2012

r e t t e l N ew s www.aawaz.co.uk

e c n e i r e p x E Work Week!

July/August 2012 aawazlancashire@tiscali.co.uk

Many of our Young Aawaz members have taken part in and enjoyed week long work experience placements at various locations across the county.

These placements give our members the opportunity to access valuable work related experiences...

I completed my work experience at Blush in Blackburn. I have always been interested in the beauty industry so was over the moon when I discovered my placement was working in a salon.

I was really excited and made sure that I Iooked immaculate as image is very important when working in the beauty sector.

When I arrived all the staff were really helpful and were happy to see me.

I had lots of questions and they could see that I was really keen and eager to learn. I worked really hard all week and was polite to all the customers; I wanted them to know how grateful I was to be given this fantastic opportunity.

After my weeks placement the owner of the salon said she was really pleased with my hard work and commitment and she offered me a part time job!

I can honestly say it is the best experience I have ever had, I now have a part time job in something I love to do and my family and friends are really proud of me.

I would recommend anyone to participate in the work placement scheme it has increased my confidence and made me realise how much I can achieve when I try my best.

Arfina Begum

e r i p s n V- I Vinspired is a nationally recognised qualification for young people who dedicate their time to help others in the community.

Since its launch in May 2006, vInspired has worked with over 500 charities and community organisations to create over 1m volunteering opportunities.

Their mission is to make volunteering opportunities so diverse, compelling and easy to

get involved with that giving up your time to help others becomes a natural lifestyle choice for 14-25 year olds.

Why not log on and register yourself you only need to do 10 hours of voluntary work to gain your first qualification and help others at the same time!

Check the website out for more details - www.vinspired.com.

My work placement was at Age UK, situated on Abbey Street in Accrington. It sells a wide range of used items from clothing and footwear to household items.

I had been a little anxious about starting but arrived bright and early on Monday morning.

Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and put me at ease straight away.

I had expected that I would be working in the shop serving customers but that wasn’t the case. I spent most of my time behind the scenes sorting the items out and preparing them for sale.

It was quite a surprise to me how much work goes on behind the scenes. Most of the people who work in the shop are volunteers and give up their time for free I enjoy the week and worked really hard with the other volunteers it was a brilliant experience and made me feel proud of the work we achieved.

Nadia Hussain

U n l o ck y o u r potential...

We’ll help you find the key!

AAWAZ gives you a helping hand towards, training, volunteering and employment.

You can do it!

You just need a little encouragement and support to be the reason to act In a community learning setting in your locality Training sessions are free to all You are most welcome to attend all our activities.

Through joining our project activities you will value and believe your potential, you will feel confident to apply for volunteering, jobs, further education or start your own business!

For information please contact: AAWAZ Access Point 225 Blackburn Road, Accrington Lancashire BB5 0AL Tel: 01254 398176 Email: aawazlancashire@tiscali.co.uk All our services are free and you do not pay any charges to join the activities we provide. Advice and Assistance Servces we provide are confidential.

Duke of h g r u b n i d E After a gruelling 12 months of hard work and determination two members of Young Aawaz; Asma Ramzan and Zarafshan Khan have successfully completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Farwa Shah has also completed her silver award after finishing her bronze award last summer.

The girls worked incredibly hard to make these magnificent achievements.

The awards requires them to learn a new skill, volunteer within their local community, participate in a sport, undertake several day walks and two expeditions.

The Duke of Edinburgh award scheme is a highly accredited qualification that is well respected by prospective universities and employers.

All of the girls will be applying for universities soon and this could make all the difference in being accepted in the University of their Choice.

Asma (above) and Zarafshan

(below)

Aawaz Announcements Derian House We have been working hard to raise money for Derian House over the past 6 months and were delighted when they invited us to a special presentation event on Tuesday 26th June at the Little Theatre in Chorley. We presented to a packed audience about how we had raised funds for the charity and what our future plans are. We then donated our latest cheque for £600. In total we have raised over £1000 with various different activities. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support and, if you have any money making ideas please let us know.

Use It - Don’t Lose It! - Personal Development As a member of Young Aawaz you are given help and support in realising our true potential. We work with our project worker on a regular basis to decide how we want to achieve our goals. The file allows us to keep a record of all the exciting opportunities that we have been involved in. It’s a great way to store important information and looks professional and efficient when going for an interview or applying for a college or place in universities.

Community Work Over the summer holidays Young Aawaz members have lots of plans to help those less fortunate within the community.

Although many of us will be fasting for Ramadam we appreciate that other people are not. We want to use our baking skills to spread some good will and happiness within our community. We have decided that we would like to make cakes, scones and biscuits and distribute them to the elderly residents in and around Hyndburn. If you would like to take part in this or any of the summer activities listed on the newsletter please contact Ribina for more details.

aawazlancashire@tiscali.co.uk