A former YMCA resident from Kingston in Surrey, who was given shelter and support by YMCA London South West, has been has been nominated for a Prince’s Trust award after turning his life around.
Matthew Campbell has been nominated for the Mappin & Webb Young Ambassador award at The Prince’s Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards, which is taking place at the Bloomsbury Ballroom on 5 November.
Matthew, now 24, lived with his mother and seven of his siblings but by 21, he left home and ended up sofa surfing and sleeping on the streets. After moving to YMCA, he enrolled on a Prince’s Trust programme called Team, designed to help unemployed young people gain the skills and confidence they need to find work.
He says, “I wasn’t doing anything with my life. It was horrible. I was hanging around with the wrong people, not doing anything good. Then I went on Team. Team changed my whole attitude; it helped me get back into a routine, and just straighten myself out.”
Karl Bailey, Senior Manager at Mappin & Webb, says: “The Young Ambassador of the Year Award honours the volunteers who are committed to inspiring others and Matthew has done exactly that. He is a real inspiration and he should be extremely proud for coming this far.”
A group of young people from Reigate have also been nominated after their success on the Prince’s Trust personal development programme, run by YMCA Downslink Group. The group are up for the Morgan Stanley Community Impact award, which recognises the positive contribution young people make to their local community whilst developing their own skills.
After seeing the impact of flooding in their local area, the team unanimously voted to help the nearby Manorfield Primary School. Despite facing various hurdles, the group remained focused, creating a fun and interactive play area where children can play and wildlife thrive.