15 June 2009
Black and minority ethnic young people from across the Caerphilly county borough recently showcased their diverse range of talents at the fourth annual BME Young Achievers Awards ceremony.
The Black and Minority Ethnic Young Achievers Awards 2009 took place in a special celebration evening held at Caerphilly Castle.
The aim of these awards is to reward 11 to 25 year olds from varied cultural and racial backgrounds in the county borough for excellence in a variety of fields.
Leader of council, Cllr Lindsay Whittle said, "The BME Young Achievers Awards are an excellent way of showcasing the rich diversity of our county borough's multi cultural society and the wonderful talents our young people have. Everyone should be extremely proud of their achievements."
The winners and runners up for each category received prizes of £100 and £50 respectively, and were as follows:
Sporting Achievement Award (male)
1st place – Jordan Ellis
2nd place – Corey Datta
Sporting Achievement Award (female)
1st place – Gabrielle Ellis
Greatest Endeavour Award
1st place – Sandra Karwowska
2nd place – Razwan Ahmed
Artist of the Year Award
1st place – David Lewis
2nd place – Sasha Kumar
Cultural Achievement Award
1st place – Raia Powell
2nd place – Inzaman Hussain
Academic Achievement Award
1st place – Kathryn Szymczak
2nd place – Paulina Kowineska
Student of the Year Award
1st place – Hadeel Maksoud
2nd place – Amar Ali
Contribution to the Community Award
1st place – Rafael Andrade de Lima
2nd place – Rachael Louise Rajah
Volunteer Award
1st place – Amber Leigh Bryce
2nd place – Osvaldo Barreiro Mendonza
Overall Winner
Hadeel Maksoud
Overall Winner Hadeel Maksoud said, "I was absolutely thrilled to win the Student of the Year and the Overall Winner Awards. The Young Achievers Project recognises people's achievements and commends them for it, which is vitally important in any area."
The event was organised by VALREC (Valleys Regional Equality Council) in association with Caerphilly County Borough Multi Agency Forum (MAF) For Equality, Against Harassment.
The forum comprises representatives from such bodies as VALREC, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Gwent Police, Caerphilly teaching Local Health Board, Gwent Probation Service, Crown Prosecution Service, local colleges and Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO).
It is committed to stamping out racism and hate crime, by educating people and informing them of the issues surrounding racial discrimination and hate crime.
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