The London 2012 Young Leaders, supported by BP, who have delivered volunteering opportunities in their local communities, have travelled to east London to meet Dame Kelly Holmes in preparation for the Games Maker interviews. The Young Leaders prepared for their interviews by taking part in a range of activities to help them make the most of their experiences through the Young Leaders programme, as well as interview practice with their BP coaches. They then undertook an interview at their Games Maker selection centre at Excel to demonstrate their skills to interviewers who will allocate their volunteering roles for the summer of 2012.

Download images of the Young Leaders with Dame Kelly here.

Dame Kelly Holmes said: ‘It was great to be at the London 2012 Young Leaders Programme milestone event. This group of young people have a fantastic opportunity to play a really important volunteer role in next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

‘The programme is sponsored by BP and supported by v and my charity, the DKH Legacy Trust. We are very pleased to be part of the journey of the young people who are mentored and supported by our Olympians and Paralympians who help them gain personal development skills.’

Ian Duffy from BP said: ‘It has been a privilege to work with this group of outstanding young people over the past year, helping to prepare them for their roles during London 2012. We congratulate the Young Leaders on their achievements so far, and look forward to helping them achieve even more between now and the Games in 2012.’

The successful Young Leaders will be allocated their roles shortly.

For more information on the London 2012 Young Leaders visit www.london2012.com/youngleaders

– Ends –

Quotes from the Young Leaders:

Ahmed Siddiqui, Hillingdon, said: ‘I’ve been involved in delivering projects to involve young people in community events, including working with young people in care and young disabled people through the Young Leaders programme. I’m proud of how my interview went today and although rather nerve-wracking, this experience is preparing us and making even more enthusiastic about all that’s to come next year.’
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Anjali Parshatom, Hounslow, said: ‘My interview was a bit nerve-wracking to begin with but as time went on I became a bit more comfortable, and I drew on the skills I’ve developed through the Young Leaders Programme. The programme has given me the chance to inspire other young people and bring the community in Hounslow together, and my BP coach has been great in bringing out the best in me. Being a Games Maker will open my eyes to how big events like London 2012 work behind the scenes, and I think the Games will unite people and bring communities across the UK together.’

Katie Slocombe, Reigate, said: ‘I used my experience of my Young Leaders project taking young people with learning difficulties to Bowling and creating and distributing a leaflet promoting London 2012 in my local area to answer the question about leadership in my interview. I’m really excited that I could be a Games Maker and have the chance to meet lots of new people at London 2012.’

Fran Edwards, Guildford, said: ‘In my interview I talked about how the projects I’ve delivered have focused on the Olympic and Paralympic Values and getting everyone in my community involved. Being on the Young Leaders Programme has helped me gain a lot of confidence through having different team roles and opportunities to lead. Being a Games Maker would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait to be involved in making this the best Games ever.’

Lewis Poskitt, Hull, said: ‘In my interview they asked about my experience on the Young Leaders programme, and how it has helped me to solve problems. The biggest thing I’ve gained from the programme is self-confidence and improving my public speaking. Meeting Dame Kelly Holmes again has made us feel that we’re important, but we need to keep working hard and that we have a big responsibility to make the most of this chance too.’

Emily Robinson, East Riding, said: ‘My interview went really well and it was a lot less scary than I thought it would be! I talked about the ‘anti-ageism coffee morning’ I delivered and how I got lots of positive feedback for the project. The programme has helped me to develop my self-confidence and has made me see that I have a role to play in my community. Knowing I can be involved in an event that is on a national and international scale is really exciting.’

Lauren Macleod, Aberdeen, said:
‘My interview was a lot less daunting than I thought it would be! Coming together with all the other Young Leaders and meeting Dame Kelly Holmes has made me realise that no matter how nerve-wracking it is, this is a really special thing to be involved in and not many others get this chance. Juggling school and the Young Leaders programme can be hard, but it’s great to be involved in something where everyone is so passionate and we’re all coming together to represent the UK to the world.’

Katie Lowe, Aberdeen, said: ‘I was nervous before my interview but really excited as well. I think being invited down to London for this event and the interview is an acknowledgement of all the hard work we’ve put in to the programme. Being able to have this experience has given me lots more confidence and knowledge of different people and cultures.’

Tommy Seagull, Newham, said: ‘Being part of the Young Leaders Programme has been a journey! You get a real sense of satisfaction from organising a community project and as there’s so much change happening in Newham it’s great that I get to be a part of that. My interview went well – they wanted to know my story so I talked about leading my GCSE Study Corner project through the Young Leaders Programme and about other activities I was involved in when I was Deputy Young Mayor for Newham.’

Matt Hutchings, Greenwich, said: ‘The interviewer was really nice and after all the activities we did together at this event I don’t think I could’ve been better prepared! I talked about the London 2012-themed mural project delivered with local schools in Greenwich and how the Young Leaders Programme has helped me to develop my confidence and teamwork skills like delegation and gaining the trust of others to get the job done. The Games will be the thing that everyone’s talking about next year and I’m really excited to be a part of it.’

Zoe Ward, Tower Hamlets, said: ‘My interview was great – I think my confidence shined through even though I was nervous. Doing the mock interview practice with my BP coach yesterday really helped. In my interview I spoke about how through the Young Leaders Programme I’ve developed teamwork skills and how when I help others deliver their projects, I treat it like it’s my own project and put just as much effort in.’

Renicha Furlonge, Hackney, said: ‘The interview went better than expected. I thought it would a lot more formal and that the interviewer would be stern- but she made me feel relaxed. She was really friendly. I talked about my two Young Leaders projects – going to Sam and Annie's day care centre where we did a quiz and a tea party, and the healthy eating project at a secondary school in Hackney.

'I talked about the role that I played, some of the challenges and how I overcame them, the impact and importance of group work. The training we had yesterday reassured me about the interview and prepared me for potential questions that might come up. I'm excited about the chance of getting a role at Games time. It's encouraged me to want to do more for my community and get others excited about the Games.’

Dan Goss, Waltham Forest, said: ‘I wasn’t too nervous and I think my interview went really well. The interview activities we did before, like the ‘Who am I?’ exercise really gave you a chance to think about all the different experiences we’ve gained on the Young Leaders programme and all our achievements. Having my interview made it really hit me that I could be volunteering at this gargantuan event next year, meeting loads of new people and helping to deliver a great Games – I can’t wait!’

Media Enquiries:
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com.  

Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012

Notes to Editors

London 2012 Young Leaders supported by BP
The London 2012 Young Leaders Programme is designed to give young people, who otherwise would not have the opportunity, the chance to make positive change to their lives and their communities. This will be achieved by participation in a number of remarkable volunteering opportunities based around BP’s four main hub locations of Canary Wharf, Sunbury-on-Thames, Hull and Aberdeen.

Young people were selected in teams of five from a variety of local authorities, based on proximity to BP’s four hub locations of:
•    Hull
•    Aberdeen
•    Canary Wharf
•    Sunbury-upon- Thames

The delivery team worked with the Head of Children’s Services in the selected local authorities to agree a definition of disadvantage, which will reflect the needs of each particular area. The young people were chosen by Local Authorities on the basis of their commitment to the programme and their potential to benefit from it. All young leaders will need to be 16 years old by 1 January 2010.

The young people have been undertaking a training programme for 16 months designed to improve their communication and leadership skills, with training delivered at a local, regional and national level through workshops, mentoring programmes and events.

The Young Leaders have developed and delivered a range of volunteering opportunities in their local community supported by the programmes’ delivery partners v, ‘The National Young Volunteers Service’, the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and Aberdeen Foyer. They have received leadership coaching from one hundred BP employees and a number of high profile athlete mentors many of whom are Olympians and Paralympians, to help them along their way.

The selected Young Leaders who complete the programme have the chance to put their leadership skills into action and play an important role as a volunteer in the London 2012 volunteer programme. The Young Leaders will apply their expertise gained through local volunteering experience and coaching by BP employees, playing their part in ensuring athletes, media, and spectators get the most out of the greatest show on Earth coming to the UK.

Visit the Young Leaders website: www.london2012.com/youngleaders
Follow the Young Leaders on Facebook: www.facebook.com/london2012youngleaders

v, The National Young Volunteers Service
•    v, The National Young Volunteers Service, aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers (aged 14-25) across England.
•    We do this by creating a diverse range of volunteering and social action opportunities to help young people take action to improve lives, communities and the planet.
•    2011 is the European Year of Volunteering 2011 in the European Union, putting a spotlight on volunteering across Europe to help create a culture of giving time. v has been appointed as an official partner, working with Catch22 to deliver the Children & Young People spotlight theme.
•    See www.vinspired.com for more information on what we do and how we do it.

LOCOG
As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Supplier, Otto Bock.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.