What are the William Wallace Awards?

The awards are named after William Wallace, who generously left a bequest to Child, Youth and Family. Mr Wallace (who died in Australia on 17 July 1989) left his residual estate to 'the neglected children's department or like institution of the Dominion of New Zealand'. Mr Wallace intended that these funds would be used to nurture children and young people in care, and help them develop their potential.

You can nominate a young person for the following awards, which can be valued up to $3,000:

• Tertiary award: To help a young person go on to further study after school.
• Vocational award: To help a young person train for a career or buy equipment for sports or artistic pursuits.
• Leadership award: To help a young person develop their potential through a course like Outward Bound.
• GFS Scholarship: This is a special scholarship for a young woman in the Wellingon region - see below for details on whether your young person is eligible.

Thanks to the GFS (previously known as Girls' Friendly Society) of Wellington, we are proud to offer a special award to an outstanding young woman, living in the greater Wellington region. This means she will live between Whanganui, Wairarapa and Wellington.

What is the scholarship?

• The scholarship offers a young woman an award of up to $4000 each year to cover course costs;
• It can be for every year of study that she passes successfully; for up to three years, or for the duration of her study.
• Mentoring: A GFS representative will also meet regularly with the young woman a (couple of times a year) to ensure she is getting the help she needs.  

How to apply:

If you are nominating a young woman for the William Wallace Award, she can also be considered for this scholarship. All you need to do is tick the box on page one of the nomination form.

Who is GFS?

GFS is a trust that has been around for 125 years, originally set up to provide safe housing for young women settling in Wellington from England.

• Any young person in Child, Youth and Family care, or in the care of iwi or child and family services; or
• Any young person who has recently come out of care when they turned 17;
• Preference will be given to those who can take up the award in the following year.

Anyone can nominate a special young person in care including:

• caregivers
• social workers
• school principals or teachers
• community workers.

A panel made up of representatives from Child, Youth and Family and non-Government organisations such as  Barnardos, Open Home Foundation, and Fostering Kids.  One young person from the previous year's awards is also part of the panel.

All sorts of young people have won William Wallace Awards in the past, including young people who used the awards to:

• develop their talent for sports or the arts
• go on to university or learn a trade
• develop their potential
• buy equipment to help them pursue their passions.

You are only limited by your imagination, so why not nominate a special young person you know!

Nominations for next year's awards will open early in July 2013.  At this time we'll have an updated nomination form loaded to this section to download.

When you're ready to make a nomination, follow these helpful tips:

• Download and fill out the nomination form.
• Get the young person involved: Being nominated is an achievement in itself. Wherever possible, include the young person in the application process. They may want to write a letter, include things like their artwork, photos, achievements at school, and so on. Let the young person know they should be proud of getting a nomination. 
• Be creative: Include copies of certificates, photos and anything else that will make your young person really stand out. You can also include references from people like a teacher, sports coach, school principal or foster carer. The young person can help by asking for references about themselves, and they will gain confidence in seeing wonderful results.
• Be detailed: You can use as much space as you need, and the more information you give the better your nomination will be. Give details about your young person's background, the barriers they've overcome, their achievements and talents, and why you think they deserve the award. If you are a Child, Youth and Family nominee, make sure you get your site manager's approval before sending in your nomination form.

Send your nomination in by Friday 27 July 2012.

Post to:  William Wallace Awards, Office of the Chief Social Worker, Child, Youth and Family, PO Box 1556, Wellington 6140

Email to:  cyf_williamwallaceawards@cyf.govt.nz

Have you:

• filled out all the details of the form?
• included input and/or a letter from your young person?
• checked that the young person is likely to qualify for the course of study (if you are applying for tertiary study) and whether the course will commence within the following 12 months?
• attached information about the young person, such as photos, certificates and achievements?
• provided references from people who know them; such as a teacher, sports coach, school principal or foster carer?
• if you work for Child, Youth and Family, has your site manager approved the application?

If you have any questions, please contact us at  cyf_williamwallaceawards@cyf.govt.nz