TWO Inverclyde teenagers have received Rotary Young Citizen awards.
Ben Kane was honoured for helping young people who have been bereaved, and Nina Kirk was reognised for her climate campaigning.
Ben (16) has been dedicated to making sure none of his peers are alone during bereavement after the loss of his brother.
Ben has worked tirelessly over the past three years to ensure that his school, Clydeview Academy, Gourock, offers vital support to students when a loved one dies.
He founded the Clydeview Bereavement Support Group alongside a member of staff so that every child at the school had the opportunity to get the help they need.
The support group offers grieving students activities and one-to-one sessions to help them during a potentially isolating experience.
Ben continues to encourage other schools to offer this support, recently meeting with local MSP Stuart MacMillan to discuss the Scottish government’s plans to support young people through bereavement.
Ben was nominated for the award by the Rotary Club of Gourock. Rotarian Norman Pettigrew said: “Ben’s drive and determination with regard to supporting others who have lost someone is incredible and a real credit to him.
“Clydeview has put the marker down for the rest of Inverclyde and indeed Scotland to take note and ensure no child grieves alone.”
The Rotary Young Citizen Awards were started in 2007 to celebrate the amazing achievements of inspirational young people.
Nina(17), also a pupil at Clydeview, has shown extraordinary drive to combat climate change.
Nina has always been passionate about the environment and started doing a litter pick to help achieve her Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Her efforts led to her speaking at the “Take Pride in Inverclyde” Eco Summit Workshop where she spoke about her passion for the environment.
Nina then spoke to a range of MP’s and environmentalists at the COP26 event in Glasgow,as a Net Zero ambassador for the UK.
Nina and her school also recently emerged victorious in the Dive Project, a competition that took place across Scotland challenging students to create an animal out of plastic and write an essay on why protecting the oceans is important, which Nina was heavily involved in every step of the way.
Nina was also nominated by The Rotary Club of Gourock. Mr Pettigrew of the club commented: “Nina has shown that she has the passion and drive for the environment to bring about change and has also managed to encourage others to get involved along with her.
“While Nina is not quite sure what her future holds, she knows that the environment and the protection of it will be a strong feature of her plans.”
