Paisley care-experienced young people won national award

The young people from Kibble have been recognised for their work with Crimestoppers, earning the Youth Volunteer of the Year award at the Crimestoppers Awards 2026.

Their efforts centred around Fearless, the dedicated youth service of Crimestoppers that provides a safe and anonymous way for young people to share information about crime.

Mark Macmillan, chief executive of Kibble, said: “We are incredibly proud of the young people involved in this partnership.

“Many of them have overcome significant challenges in their lives, yet they continue to show resilience, compassion and a real determination to create positive change for others.

“This project gave young people the opportunity to use their experiences and insights in a meaningful way, and the impact they have had has been extraordinary.

“Seeing their ideas contribute to campaigns reaching millions of people across the UK has been hugely powerful and reinforces the importance of listening to and investing in young people’s voices.”

The group was praised by judges at the awards, which celebrate volunteers who contribute to safer communities and support the charity’s crime-prevention goals.

Their involvement began through the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), with Kibble learners choosing Fearless as the focus of their project.

They secured a £3000 donation for the charity through a successful pitch and later worked with Crimestoppers and Fearless to improve the charity’s website, making it more accessible and engaging for young people.

The funding helped enhance the Fearless online crime reporting page, making it easier for young people across the UK to find information and report concerns anonymously.

Building on this, the group was involved in redesigning the online reporting form, using their own experiences to make the process simpler and clearer for other young people.

One young person involved in the project said: “A lot of the issues we talked about through our work with YPI and Crimestoppers are things young people see or experience close to home, so it felt important that our voices were part of the website redesign.

“We wanted to create something that would actually work for young people trying to use it and know there's somewhere they can turn if they need support or want to report something anonymously.

“It’s been really good knowing that something we worked on could help other young people across the country.”

The project not only demonstrated the creativity and leadership of the young people but also reflected the supportive culture at Kibble, where staff consistently champion their achievements.

Lyndsay McDade, Fearless national manager, said: “What stood out consistently was the belief, care and commitment shown by staff and young people alike.

"Kibble creates environments where young people are not only encouraged to engage but are empowered to lead.

“The young people we worked with across multiple projects and campuses were thoughtful, honest and deeply motivated to create positive change.

“They redesigned our reporting page at Fearless.org so that young people across the UK can feel able to speak up about crime 100% anonymously, helping to make lives and communities safer.

“Throughout the year, young people also developed campaign messaging that went on to reach millions of young people across Scotland.

“This partnership demonstrates the incredible impact that can happen when young people are given the opportunity, support and trust to shape outcomes that matter to them and their communities.

“I’m very proud of all the young people that we’ve had the privilege of working with.

“This recognition is incredibly well deserved.”