An inspiring group of apprentices have been announced as the winners of the Shared Values in Action Award.

The award recognises people who are doing activities which bring people together.

Apprentices at Healthy Minds have created a movement to address issues around inequality, discrimination, loneliness, poverty, prejudice and wellbeing in Bradford’s young generations.

The Healthy Minds apprentices are a group of young people who educate children and young people to look after their mental health and resources.

Titled ‘Kindness, Compassion and Understanding’ (KCU), the project is boosting understanding of the issues that lead to bullying, hate crime, discrimination and exclusion.

Healthy Mind’s award-winning apprentices include Isha Ali, James Robinson, Candice Bia, Kemmi Gill, Maisie Southwell, Brooke Johnson, Ali Islam, Isobel Phelan, Toni McCarthy, Jodie Fletcher, Phoebe Dear, Amber Whitehead-Stevens and George Hearson.

The group created a movement to target issues facing Bradford’s young generations.

The work was based on their own experiences.

The nominator said: “The young people are true role models in getting the message of KCUout there in schools and communities. The programme has been delivered to over 5,000 children and young people.”

The award follows the Healthy Mind apprentice’s exhibition at Cartwright Hall earlier this year.

The theme was ‘Exploring young people’s identity and wellbeing’, curated alongside project workers at All Star Entertainment and Bradford Council’s Bradford District Museums and Galleries.

The exhibition gave an insight into how children and young people are affected by mental health, their coping mechanisms, and celebrating life’s small wins.

At the time of the exhibition, Ali said: “All the apprentices and people involved have worked hard to take the exhibition off the ground. We want to thank Bradford District Museums and Galleries for backing this exhibition and giving us this opportunity to showcase the work we’re doing around promoting mental health.

“There will be a number of exhibits for people to view, some of the exhibits include a poetry wall which features writing by young people across the district, LGBTQAI+ art installation, and a photography wall showing the highs and lows of a young person’s mental health journey.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Healthy People and Places Portfolio for Bradford Council, added: “Our young people are at the heart of everything we do and they played a key role in helping the Bradford district win the UK City of Culture 2025.

“It’s really exciting to see how the Healthy Minds apprentices have teamed up with other children and young people across the district to help with this exhibition.

“This exhibition shows the reality of what children and young people experience and their mental health journeys. It can be difficult to articulate what mental ill-health can feel like, and this exhibition will help people in discovering and understanding what others may be going through.”