Birmingham’s young change-makers celebrated at Next Generation Awards 2026
Young people from across Birmingham have been recognised for innovative ideas to improve their communities at the Birmingham Civic Society’s Next Generation Awards & School Star Awards, held at Birmingham Newman University on Thursday 15 October.
Now in their 21st year, the Next Generation Awards (NGA) have involved more than 40,000 young people, encouraging them to identify challenges in their communities and devise practical solutions. This year’s winning team, from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, impressed the judges with their fantastic Plan Bee project, a proposal to ultimately increase the quantity of bees in the area as they are currently in decline and a number of species are at risk of becoming extinct. To help combat the issue the team plan to build and distribute Bee hotels and wildflowers to provide Bees with shelter and food whilst also educating the wider public of the importance of Bees for our ecosystem.
The team were presented with the Next Generation Awards Shield and the £1,500 Newman Prize, provided by Birmingham Newman University by Guest of honour Preet Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, with Matthew Vaughan, Co-Chair of the Birmingham Civic Society and also Freddie Gick and Michael Sheehan who originated the scheme some twenty-one years ago. The team will be paired with a mentor this year to support the team to help them to turn the idea into reality. Sean Donnelly, Head of Enrichment, and Teacher of English at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys commented: “We are extremely proud of Team Bee for their brilliant idea to conserve and encourage the local bee populations.
“We are confident this idea will have a massive impact, not only ecologically, but on the wellbeing of local residents and pupils in our school. Thank you to the Next Generation Awards for providing our boys with a fantastic opportunity to make a difference.” Finalists in the Next Generation Awards this year represented Bishop Walsh Catholic School, King Edward VI Five Ways School, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys and King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls.
Matthew Vaughan, Co-Chair, Birmingham Civic Society commented: “All of the finalists’ projects were excellent and brilliantly presented– it’s so inspiring to see what young people from the city can do, and how much they can contribute to the future of Birmingham – thank you so much to all our judges, the Civic Society team, everyone at Birmingham Newman University and our honoured guest Preet Gill for their support in making this wonderful event happen.” The evening also celebrated the Birmingham Civic Society’s School Star Awards, recognising schools providing practical help to people in their communities.
The very worthy recipients of the BCS School Star Awards this year were The Oaklands Primary School, The Olive School, City Academy and King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls. Last year’s winning NGA project, ‘Together in Translation’ from Bartley Green School, also attended the event with their mentor Ingid Lee of Birmingham Newman University to provide an update on their EAL project since winning last year, highlighting how ideas can develop beyond the competition. Jo Dunlop, Next Generation Awards Project Manager, said: “Our Next Generation Awards and School Star Awards ceremony is a fantastic celebration of positive citizenship activity within our city and highlight of our year.
“We want every young person in Birmingham to know their voice matters and that they can all work towards making a difference for our communities. We would encourage all schools across Birmingham to get in touch and get involved in our work to help the future generation to develop active citizenships skills so that we can all work together for a better Birmingham.” The Birmingham Civic Society is dedicated to promoting civic pride, fostering community engagement, and supporting initiatives that enhance the city of Birmingham.
Through various programmes and awards, we aim to empower individuals and organisations to make a difference in their communities. BCS has been running the NGA’s for 21-years and has worked with over 40,000 young people with the object of promoting the concept of active citizenship among young people between the ages of 11-14 from all backgrounds in the city. Since its launch in 2005, the NGAs have given young people a platform to identify issues in their communities and develop practical, creative solutions that make a real difference.
From tackling racism and forced marriage to addressing knife crime, autism awareness, homelessness and climate change, Birmingham’s next generation has shown the power of youth-led innovation to drive change.
