Seb Coe and Jonathan Edwards celebrate London 2012 Young Leaders success

Young people from Aberdeen, Hull, and London are celebrating their two year participation in the London 2012 Young Leaders Programme, with LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe and double Olympic champion, Jonathan Edwards, before they take up high profile roles at the London 2012 Games.

An event taking place today at the British Museum marks their achievements on the programme and looks ahead as they prepare for their roles as Games Makers during the Games this summer.

The programme, supported by BP, has seen the Young Leaders take part in a two year training programme designed to improve their inter-personal, communication and leadership skills. Over this period, the Young Leaders have been involved in a number of outstanding volunteering opportunities delivered by national youth volunteering charity, vInspired, the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust and Aberdeen Foyer, in and around BP's four main hub locations of Canary Wharf, Sunbury-on-Thames, Hull and Aberdeen. They have also received one-to-one leadership coaching from BP employees.

Through the Young Leaders Programme, London 2012 set out to give a group of young people the chance to make a positive change to their lives and their communities through an intensive personal development programme, culminating in a high profile volunteering role at Games time.

Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012, said: 'As part of our original bid for London 2012, we made a commitment to deliver a programme that would engage and inspire young people. It is hugely encouraging to see these young people graduate from the Young Leaders Programme today.

'We are proud to say that the volunteers will play a pivotal role in making London 2012 a great Games. Through creating a programme that encourages positive change not just to individuals, but also their communities, we are delivering on inspiring young people to be part of London 2012.'

Ian Duffy from BP commented: 'As a London 2012 partner, BP is enormously proud to have been involved so closely with this excellent programme. It has been a wonderful experience for the BP coaches who have taken part. We are delighted to have been a part of a programme which aims to spread the spirit of the Games in a very practical way so that London 2012 will not only be a great sporting success, but will also will have been an inspiration to a new generation of leaders. It has been a great privilege for BP to work with this group of young people and help them prepare for their roles in London 2012.'

Dame Kelly Holmes said: 'It is so important for young people to have these types of outstanding opportunities, which will allow them to grow and reach their full potential. We have been very pleased to have been involved in their journey to the Games. The programme will have a long lasting effect and will act as a valuable model for communities in the future.'

Jayne Colquhoun, COO of vInspired, said: 'The capacity of these young people to rise to the occasion and go above and beyond has been astonishing. The Young Leaders have not only brought about positive change in their communities, but have also shown their true leadership potential. The Young Leaders Programme has equipped them with the skills to have a permanent impact on their communities and on wider society. It has been a pleasure to help deliver this exciting programme and we wish each Young Leader the very best as they continue on their journey to the Games.'

Katie Lowe, Young Leader from Aberdeen said: 'I have more confidence since taking part in the Young Leaders programme, and I'm more punctual and tolerant too. While I've always been a natural leader, I've learned that I don't need to be in control all the time in order to lead a team well. The prospect of being involved in London 2012 as a Games Maker is so exciting and I'm really looking forward to putting all the things we've learnt as Young Leaders into practice when I'm meeting spectators from all around the world. I live in the North East of Scotland where experiences like this hardly ever come around, so being given this opportunity means the world to me.'

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://www.london2012.com/blog or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012

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