The Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award (AYLA) was undertaken by 24 of our schools during 2024-2025. Since 2011, over 1,700 schools and 194,000 young people have participated in the program throughout the country. It aims to develop leadership skills, character virtues, and community engagement.
The program involves three types of action projects:
- Individual Action Projects: Activities at home, such as donating to charities, litter picking, and helping neighbours.
- School Action Projects: Initiatives like reading buddies, promoting kindness, and delivering assemblies on conservation.
- Community Action Projects: Efforts such as fundraising for charities, creating environmental awareness, and visiting care homes.
Teachers and pupils shared extremely positive reflections, emphasising the programme’s role in building confidence, leadership, creating a sense of responsibility and actively living out their Christian values.
Schools taking part have commented that throughout the programme they noticed that their pupils developed the following leadership skills:
- Using their initiative
- Communication
- Listening
- Teamwork
- Planning
- Motivating and encouraging
- Negotiation
- Creative thinking
- Organisation
Schools complete three types of action projects through the Award.
Here are just a few examples:
- Individual Action Projects (at home):
- Litter picking with family and friends
- Washing cars
- Walking neighbours’ dogs
- Inviting lonely neighbours for tea and biscuits
- Helping with household chores
- School Action Projects:
- Acting as reading buddies for younger year groups
- Becoming role models throughout the school
- Raising awareness about environmental conservation
- Planning and delivering assemblies on sustainability and wildlife support
- Community Action Projects:
- Raising awareness of community issues with their local MP
- Fundraising for a local homeless charity e.g. The Whitechapel Centre
- Creating and displaying professionally printed posters to promote environmental care
- Visiting local care homes and building relationships with residents
Many congratulations to those schools in the Diocese of Liverpool who have achieved this prestigious award and, as a result are living out their Christian vision and modelling the actions of Jesus that we read about in the Bible.
Arnot St Mary Primary, Liverpool
Aspull CE/Methodist Primary, Wigan
Faith CE/RC Primary, Liverpool
Garston CE Primary, Liverpool
Holy Trinity Primary, Southport
Kirkdale St Lawrence Primary, Liverpool
Parish CE Primary, St Helens
Rectory CE Primary, St Helens
St Andrew’s CE Primary, Warrington
St Gabriel’s CE Primary, Huyton
St Helen’s CE Primary, Warrington
St James’ CE Primary, Haydock
St John’s CE Primary, Wigan
St Luke’s CE Primary, Crosby
St Margaret’s CE Primary, Warrington
St Michael’s CE High School, Crosby
St Silas CE Primary, Liverpool
St Cleopas CE Primary, Liverpool
St Thomas CE Primary, Lydiate
Sutton Oak CE Primary, St Helens
The Academy of St Nicholas High School, Liverpool
Trinity CE/Methodist Primary, Skelmersdale
Trinity St Peter’s CE Primary, Formby
Woolston CE Primary, Warrington
