What are the William Wallace Awards?

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!

You can also read more about some of our previous year's award winners.

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.

• Any young person in Child, Youth and Family care, or in the care of iwi or child and family services;
• Or who has recently come out of care when they turned 17;
• And who can take up the award in 2010.

Anyone can nominate a special young person in care that they know.  This includes if you are a:

• caregiver
• social worker
• school principal or teacher
• community worker.

The awards are named after a man called William Wallace, who generously left a bequest to Child, Youth and Family.  Little is known about him, but it is thought that he may have been a child in care many years ago.  This bequest certainly gives back to deserving young people in care today.

Thanks to the Girls Friendly Society of Wellington (GFS) 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 Wanganui, Wairarapa and Wellington.

What is the scholarship?

• This will offer a young woman an award of up to $4000 each year to cover course costs;
• it will be for every year of study that she passes successfully;
• for up to three years, or for the course of her study.
• Mentoring: A GFS rep will also meet up for coffee with the young woman a couple of times a year to ensure she is getting the help she needs.

How to apply:

A young woman you are nominating for a William Wallace Award 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?

This special award is sponsored by the Girls' Friendly Society, a trust that has been around for 125 years, originally set up to provide safe housing for young women settling in Wellington from England!

• Fill out the form which you can download at www.cyf.govt.nz  
• Get the young person involved: Being nominated is an achievement in itself, and every nominee will receive a book voucher. Where ever possible, include the young person you are nominating in your 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 can 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.
• 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, before sending in your form, please get your site manager to approve the nomination.

Send your nomination in by 9 August 2010.

Post to:          William Wallace Awards, Service Support, Child, Youth and Family, PO Box 2620, Wellington

Email:             cyf_williamwallaceawards@cyf.govt.nz