For almost 25 years the Whitbread Group supported a major awards programme which recognised volunteering achievement in the UK. These awards were initially known as the Whitbread Volunteer Action Awards. In 2003, Whitbread decided to focus its community involvement on young people, and to move the award scheme to recognise and celebrate youth volunteering. Since then it has been running the Whitbread Young Achiever Awards, specifically to recognise the personal achievements and the impact of their volunteering of inspirational young people.

Over the last 25 years, the Whitbread volunteering awards have become affectionately known as the ‘Oscars of the voluntary sector’. Key members of the sector played significant advisory and support roles over that time, and many more participated in the awards as partners and as nominators. The Whitbread Volunteer Action Awards, and then the Whitbread Young Achiever Awards have enjoyed the long term support and financial backing of the Home Office.

To ensure longer term planning and development of the awards Whitbread have handed over the Young Achiever Awards to a consortium led by a number of leading youth sector organisations including YouthNet, Unltd and CIVA. The Young Achievers Trust has therefore been set up to take forward the awards with the full support of Whitbread. Young People are at the heart of the governance of the Young Achievers Trust with guidance from senior staff from youth sector organisations as well as staff who were previously involved in the Whitbread Young Achiever awards.

The Young Achievers believe that the most successful way to inspire young volunteers, campaigners and social entrepreneurs is through action based volunteering, which is led by young people and provides inspiration to others. We believe in putting young people at the heart of our organisation and supporting those around us to harness creativity and energy to develop our peers and be the change in the world we want to see.