HSYAReview2024 - Flipbook - Page 8
The High Sheriff Youth Awards in 2023-2024
Emerge Advocacy
The Surrey Magistrates Association
Peer Productions
Emerge Advocacy supports people
aged 10 to 25 who are in A&E because
of self-harm, a suicide attempt or
emotional crisis. Our teams are present
in hospital during the evening to be a
#VoiceOfHope to young people as they
arrive, many times having been brought
in by ambulance or police. As a
purposely non-clinical, informal yet
informed service, we can often be
found playing Uno, doing colouring or
talking about random things with
young people which enables them to
feel much calmer and more able to
engage with the clinical care they need.
On average, their distress reduces from
8/10 to 4/10 over the course of the
hour or two our staff and volunteers
invest in them.
SMA is a charity and works to support
magistrates and increase public
awareness of the role of magistrates in
the criminal and civil justice system.
Teams of magistrates attend primary,
secondary, 6th form colleges, schools,
community groups, give presentations
and discuss how magistrates are
appointed, what kind of cases they deal
with, how guilt or innocence is decided,
how magistrates decide to sentence and
some of the implications of getting a
criminal record.
A registered charity since 2006 we
have provided a free one-year
accredited training course for young
actors (aged 17-23). Alongside this
qualification these young actors
volunteer their time to tour our original
educational plays throughout Surrey,
reaching 15,000 young people (aged
12+) with peer-led preventative
messages about mental health,
wellbeing and crime. We also provide
peer-led outreach workshops,
particularly focusing on working with
learning disabled young people.
Young people are at the heart of our
work. Each year our young actoreducators feed in to the development
of new and established projects
ensuring our work remains fresh,
relevant and engaging.
We continue to support young people
once they leave hospital, providing
weekly, in person follow up sessions
with a member of our team to be a
‘bridge out of crisis’, working with the
young person to help them find
positive coping strategies and to make
connections with others in their lives
who can support them going forwards.
During the life of this grant the Royal
Surrey team have had 297 interactions
with young people.
"Had I not met Emerge I would have
probably attempted on my life whilst in
hospital. It was extremely helpful to
have a chat with them and for the first
time I didn't feel alone." Liam, age 16
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The Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial
Competition involves over 4,000 students
from over 270 schools and 1,700 legal
professional volunteers at 51 courts.
The Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial
Competition is part of the Law in Schools
programme which helps improve young
people’s life skills, their understanding of
the justice and the legal system, and
helps them to understand that the law
touches every aspect of their lives.
The competition creates the foundations
for the students to develop into legally
capable young people and aims to
introduce the legal system to young
people in an exciting way that has a
lasting impact on all those involved,
whilst developing student’s soft skills
that will be of use throughout their lives.
The pupils who take part in the
competition are from many different
backgrounds and walks of life. State
schools, Free schools and academies
from around the country participate in
mock trials that take place local to them.
In the roles of lawyers, witnesses,
magistrates and court staff, students
prosecute and defend specially written
criminal cases. Teams compete against
each other in real Magistrates' courts in
front of real magistrates.
Losing It, our innovative sex education
project, is a 90 minute peer led theatre
production, and comprehensive
accompanying Teachers' Pack.
This musical play tells the story of a
group of 18 year-olds as they look
back on seven years of secondary
school. Written in partnership with
young people from a range of schools,
this frank and inclusive, large scale
production addresses some key sex
and relationship issues which can have
a devastating impact on the lives of
young people, including sexting,
internet grooming, internet
pornography, consent and rape.
Our work helps address this vital
subject through preventative work.
Delivered by young peer educators,
our work hits home with significance
and power. Our theatre is a powerful
tool for education and transformation.
