A group of Edinburgh school pupils has won a CHANGEit award in the Innovation category after Miller Developments funded their trip to London to pitch their campaign idea to the judging panel.

Lewis Blackley, Jamie McGovern and Emma McKie, who are all 14 years of age and from Castlebrae Community High School in the Craigmillar area of the city, received the award for their 'We Want to Work' campaign to create work experience for under-16s that can provide practical training and skills and give them exposure to a variety of jobs they might want to pursue in the future.

The award winners were announced on 14 May at a ceremony hosted by GMTV presenter Ben Shephard.

Run by international leadership organisation, Common Purpose, and sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the CHANGEit awards aim to show that young people can make positive changes to society and recognise the achievements and ambitions of young people, between the ages of 11-18, who are already doing so. The awards have nothing to do with academic achievement or exam grades, but everything to do with good citizenship and positive action.


Andy McGoff, Associate Director with The Miller Group, helped the students in the development of their plan while acting as an advisor at the 'Your Turn' sessions organised by Common Purpose. The three-day programmes challenge young people to think in new ways about their area and their world, and bring them into contact with decision makers such as chief constables, business executives and community leaders.

Andy said: "I am delighted that the hard work and enthusiasm of the group has been recognised by their success at the CHANGEit awards and that we were able to support them by contributing £500 towards their trip to London."

Common Purpose Chief Executive, Julia Middleton, said: "The 'We Want to Work' initiative would create tremendous opportunities for young people in Edinburgh. It shows how young people can have a valuable leadership role in society."

CHANGEit consists of two categories: the Innovation awards, for young people who have big ideas that deserve to reach their full potential, and the Performance awards, for young people who deserve to have their campaigning efforts recognised.

The 'We Want to Work' campaign fought off competition in the Innovation category from campaigns to build a free-running training park, help teenagers raise money for youth clubs and raise awareness about teenage pregnancy.

(GK/JM)