John Paul II Award

The Pope John Paul II Award is a faith-based award for young people between the age of 16 and 18. 

It allows young people to: 

• Grow in Faith – deepen your understanding of your faith and its role in everyday life.

• Make a Difference – Contribute positively to your parish and local community.

• Develop Skills – Build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.

• Recognition & Achievement – Earn a respected award that looks great on CVs and UCAS applications.

• Personal Growth – Gain confidence, meet new people, and discover your potential.

On Sunday Mrs Howell joined our three Year 13 students, Doreen, Angelica and Sandi, to celebrate completing the Pope John Paul II Award at the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead.  The girls were awarded gold level, and this involves a weekly commitment to their parish and dedicating an hour a week to social awareness. 

Doreen and Angelica explain a little more about the award:

Doreen: I took part in activities to support both my parish and wider community.

In my parish, I contributed by delivering the responsorial psalm and readings, as well as helping at events such as the Christmas Fair and International Mass.

For the social awareness aspect, I volunteered weekly at a charity shop where I organised donations and prepared items for sale within school. I was also part of the Ethos Committee in school, where I helped to promote school values through delivering assemblies and supporting events such as Big Mass. 

Taking part in the award was important to me because it allowed me to have a more active role within my parish and school community.

Through these activities, I developed teamwork, communication, and organisational skills while promoting compassion and respect. It also helped me realise that young people can have a positive impact on others, which reflects the message in 1 Timothy 4:12 about being an example through speech, conduct, love and faith. Overall, the award strengthened my confidence and helped me develop a more positive mindset about contributing to my community.

Angelica: it was such a rewarding and fulfilling experience to take part in. Personally, I found that the JPII Gold award presented me with countless opportunities to serve my community.

From working at the hospital in Lourdes to blackberry picking, bake sales and manning a pop-up shop to raise money for charity, each hour of weekly service came with its own funny stories.

This award is important to me as through the volunteer work, I did, I was able to form relationships with people of all ages throughout my community, bridging the gap between generations and bringing us closer together.