Teens Get Award From Dorset Police

A group of teenagers from Bournemouth have each received a Teenage Award Scheme certificate from Dorset Police, for helping to build a school in Africa last year.

The youngsters – aged between 12 and 18 years old – made up an expedition of 22 Scouts and Explorer Scouts who went to Uganda for over five weeks during the school summer holidays in 2010 to build a school in the south of the country.

The group, who are from the 38th Bournemouth Scout Group based at Winton and Avon Explorers based at Iford, worked with their Scout leaders for three years to raise the £120,000 required to complete the project.

Inspector Mike Claxton, Neighbourhood Inspector for Bournemouth North, presented the teenagers with their certificates at the Scout Group AGM at Butchers Coppice in Bear Cross on Thursday 23 June.

Inspector Claxton said:

 “These teenagers should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved and they are a great example to others.

“Going out to Uganda and helping to build this facility is an extremely impressive achievement. But to have also worked so
hard to raise so much money to fund the project makes this a truly exceptional accomplishment.

“We so often hear about the bad things that a minority of teenagers get up to, but the hard work and achievements of
these young people clearly shows that teenagers in Dorset contribute so positively to our communities.”

The teenagers left the UK at the start of the school summer holidays and spent over five weeks in Uganda building the school – and as members of the Scouting Association, they camped for almost the entire time that they were there.

The expedition – named ‘Nile 2010’ as the location where the build took place is near to the source of the River Nile – resulted in a school being built near Jinja, Uganda to help disadvantaged children in the area.

The teenagers worked and camped alongside Ugandan Scouts, and the school that they helped to build has proved extremely valuable to the young people of Jinja.

Mike Harley, expedition leader, said:

 “The whole leader team is very proud of what our young people achieved. We are also grateful to the many people who supported our expedition and project.

“We are looking forward to providing further support to the school in the future.”

The Teenage Award Scheme was set up in January 2010 by Dorset Police to recognise the achievements of teenagers living in Dorset.

Anyone between 13 and 19 years of age can be nominated for an award.

To nominate a teenager, simply email teenageawardscheme@dorset.pnn.police.uk with the teenager’s name, contact details, age, address and details of the good deed that they are being nominated for – along with the nominator’s contact details.