Community Impact:

This category celebrates local heroes who have made a positive impact in their community. Change makers defy expectations by going above and beyond for their local areas, making a profound difference to their communities and those around them.  

Congratulations to Sharandeep, the Community Impact: Change Maker of the Year winner!

sharandeep

Giving her time to benefit others has always been a way of life for Sharandeep, who has been a young carer from the age of seven. She’s gone on to give her time to those in her community including other young carers, people experiencing homelessness, and victims of domestic violence. 

Studying for a degree in law and working two part-time jobs, Sharan still manages to find the energy for volunteering. It’s due to that tireless effort for others that Sharan has been named This is Youth 2023’s Change Maker of the Year, which celebrates young heroes who have made a positive impact on their community. 

"The main challenge for young carers is isolation. You feel that need to look after others and can prioritise others’ needs over your own."

Since primary school, Sharan has supported her blind grandmother, who is now developing dementia, and her epileptic grandfather by cooking, cleaning and helping around the house. She was introduced to Carers Trust Heart of England and has since gone on to volunteer with the organisation to give back. Alongside running activities, Sharan also established a council to advocate for young carers, joined their national youth advisory panel, and now directly impacts the charity’s organisation and procedures.  

Matthew

Matthew, 16, is a champion of his local community, having given over 400 volunteering hours to Tarbolton Community Council – above and beyond what he needed to achieve for his DofE. Matthew believes "you might as well help those around you" and states that "if I can make a difference, I will."

From "beautifying" the village with planters to raising £10,000 for a lights switch-on event and even creating a fully accessible website for the community council, Matthew has shown there are no limits to what can be achieved when you tirelessly dedicate your time and energy to helping others. Helping his local community of Tarbolton means the world to Matthew. 

"I’m trying to put my village on the map. You’re more likely to be passionate when something affects you directly."

Matthew now has his sights set on attending university in Edinburgh, studying web design, marketing, and communications.  

Saina & Nene

Nene and Saina’s friendship started when they got moved to sit next to each other in their French class. Straight away they clicked and made each other laugh, and as two women of colour they began to realise they had several shared experiences and could relate to a lot of similar challenges in school. Deciding to take action, they formed a group to meet once a week during a lunch time to talk about their experiences.  

The sessions started with a small group and some teachers attending, giving students an opportunity to share their frustrations. Being a very personal and emotional topic, the girls admit that at the beginning it didn’t feel like they were making much progress. However, when they reached the 12-month mark and looked back, they realised how far they’d come. Describing it as a "snowball effect", the group continued to grow and as it took up more of their time, they started using it for their DofE Volunteering section.  

"I’m really proud of the culture fair we introduced. It felt like we’d created a community as part of our group."

One of the events Nene and Saina are most proud of organising through their group is a culture fair, which gave students the opportunity to come into school and share more about their cultures and heritage. Nene and Saina also brought more awareness to Black History Month in the school, delivering workshops and assemblies, and organising training.  

Nene and Saina have had to push themselves out of their comfort zones as part of the project, overcoming anxieties around public speaking and delivering assemblies to different year groups. They are confident that their group has meant that more conversations around racism are happening. They both plan to join societies at university which connect to their heritage and build a community of people they can connect with, while continuing their activism around anti-racism and inclusivity.