Nominations for the very first Suffolk HOPE Awards have opened in the search to find and celebrate young people who have helped tackle hate crime in the county during the pandemic.

The awards have been launched by Suffolk Constabulary in partnership with Suffolk County Council, off the back of National Hate Crime Awareness Week in October last year.

HOPE stands for; Hate crime awareness, Operational response to hate crime, Prevent hate crime, Empower communities affected by hate crime.

Secondary schools and education providers for 16 to 18 year olds, along with the public, are being invited to nominate a worthy young person or group who they think have been involved in inspiring projects or activities for themselves and those around them.

Nominations are welcome for any young person aged between 11 and 18 years-old, who has gone above and beyond and continued to demonstrate resilience, determination and teamworking, despite the unprecedented circumstances of the past year.

Inspector Becky Kidd-Stanton, from Suffolk Constabulary, said: “The impact of individual acts of kindness, demonstrating respect for others and working as part of a team, should not be under estimated.

“Alongside academic progress, it is important to recognise these skills and attributes that young people often have in abundance."

Backed by the East Anglian Daily Times/Ipswich Star, BBC Radio Suffolk, ITFC and Suffolk FA, the awards have four categories; diversity, respect and kindness, teamwork and determination.

Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Communities Paul West said the past year was tough but added: “We have seen some truly encouraging demonstrations of resilience, compassion and respect from our young people.

"It gives me great pride to recognise these inspirational individuals and the contribution they are making to tackling hate crime within our communities.”

Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “There is so much good work being done by young people right across the county and this often goes unnoticed.

"The Suffolk HOPE awards are a fantastic opportunity for us to herald some of the outstanding young people we know and admire."

The categories are:

  • Diversity – Individuals or groups who have promoted diversity, taken a stand to prevent/stop discrimination, have undertaken activity to help challenge a negative mindset and affected positive change.
  • Respect and Kindness– Kindness is often an underestimated attribute; this category aims to recognise actions (both large and small) which demonstrate compassion and an understanding of another’s struggles.
  • Teamwork –Teamwork is a skill that is carried forward from school to higher education, work and adulthood. By working as a team, the category aims to acknowledge the benefits of sharing ideas and experiences and finding a common approach to solve an issue.
  • Determination – This category aims to celebrate and recognise the determination and resilience of our young people and reward their positive attitude to finding solutions or helping each other and their community.

As part of the awards process, there will also be an overall ‘HOPE Award’, this will be awarded to a school for their performance and participation in the awards.

Once the nominations have been submitted, each school will select who they wish to put forward in each category.

These will then be considered by a county wide judging panel, consisting of representatives from each organisation involved.

Overall winners will be selected in each of the four categories and one overall HOPE winner, with winners announced in June and recognised at an awards event.

To nominate a young person, fill out application form here.