Kelvin Husbands from Grassrootz has been nominated as Local Hero, sponsored by Green Park.
The youth worker founded and leads the organisation which runs various youth clubs, mentorship programmes and trips for young people in Reading.
His nominator said: “I honestly believe Kelvin Husbands and his team deserve the Pride of Reading award.
“What Kelvin and his team achieve with the teens is amazing. Many of the teens struggled with self-esteem and confidence.”
They went on to highlight Grassrootz’s role in the personal and professional development of the young people it serves, saying Reading would be ‘lost’ without it.
Kelvin founded Grassrootz after observing a lack of familiar and safe places for young people to go after school.
Of the nomination, he said: “It’s an amazing feeling. It’s not what we set out for, but it shows how far we’ve come.
“We just started as a place for my son, who was 13 at the time, and his friends to come and play football.
“At that time, the most shocking thing was that none of them had even heard of a youth club or knew what one was.”
The group runs five sessions throughout the week in Whitley, Coley and Caversham, serving over 200 young people per week during term-time.
Throughout the holidays, volunteers organise trips, recently taking hundreds of children to exciting places like Thorpe Park and Legoland.
The excursions offer an opportunity for parents and carers to spend quality time with their children and also socialise with other parents, with Grassrootz covering the cost.
In this way, the group has strengthened intergenerational relationships within the community.
This year’s summer programme has attracted around 500 children from across Reading and the surrounding areas.
Alongside the youth clubs, the organisation runs a side-project called Bridging the Gap, which focuses on the personal development of its members.
“One of the proudest things we’ve done is have members of the senior group mentor the junior groups,” Kelvin explained.
“Ten children have given up their time to do this. It’s given them the chance to receive first aid and safeguarding training, and has helped them all get jobs, securing paid employment.
“I spoke with their employer and he couldn’t believe how well-rounded they were.”
Moving forward, Kelvin is excited to see the Grassrootz grow, establishing new youth clubs and bringing in new volunteers.
He said: “Long term, we’d love to own our own building in Reading, being able to offer our young people a safe place to come after school for a chat or to finish off homework.”
