An innovative project which provides musical theatre training to young people has been shortlisted for the Training & Education Project of the Year Award at the prestigious YMCA Youth Matters Awards 2022, taking place on Friday 18 November.
Y-Perform ran by YMCA Scarborough, is a Musical Theatre School that runs on a Saturday during term times that has a wide range of ages attend from aged 3 right up to 17/18. The classes work on putting on two shows a year presented in the 290–seat YMCA Theatre, one musical and one showcase. The young people work incredibly hard to produce great quality shows while learning their craft. Y-Perform is a lot more than a musical theatre school, it is a community. Creative skills are used as a foundation to build key life skills; communication, teamwork and problem solving to name but a few. Y Perform is led by two young leaders: Evie McGlinchey (19) and Jasmine Towes (23). Both Evie and Jasmine attended YMCA projects when they were younger and are a perfect fit to run and shape Y Perform into what it is today.
YMCA Scarborough overcame strong competition from other incredible YMCAs across England and Wales to make it to the final stages, and was praised by judges for The community spirit of the school which is most evident in the 10 minutes before sessions start, these sessions let the young people talk about the week’s events, and what happened at school/college or use the sessions to vent. Y Perform becomes an all-around support network with the ability for young people to build resilience and safe space each week.
YMCA Scarborough will join two other finalists on the night to find out if they have won the coveted title, which will be presented at an exclusive awards ceremony at the Bloomsbury Big Top in central London, hosted by BBC presenter, broadcaster and writer Reverend Kate Bottley.
Liam Downey, Visitor Experience Manager of YMCA Scarborough said:
“We are so thrilled and honoured to have made it to the finals stages for the amazing title of Training & Education Project of the Year! Our team has worked incredibly hard to support our young people and community over the past year, and regardless of the outcome on the night, I could not be prouder of everything they have delivered and achieved.
“Thank you so much to everyone in the community who continues to support us – we couldn’t have got to this point without you, you are all part of the YMCA Scarborough family.”
A key event in the YMCA calendar since 2009, YMCA’s Youth Matters Awards celebrates young people, communities, staff and volunteers for their outstanding achievements, inspiring feats against adversity and tireless dedication to creating change. Twelve coveted awards are up for grabs this year, across a series of diverse categories during an inspiring night of celebration and recognition.
Locally, YMCA Scarborough provides support for all members of our community through fun and enriching activities, activities for both young and old. We also run YMCA Theatre with excellent facilities for training young people and producing entertaining productions for the whole family.
Read more about YMCA Scarborough at ymcascarborough.uk and for more information on YMCA’s Youth Matters Awards visit www.ymca.org.uk/about/awards.
