The BILD awards its youngest ever Honorary Fellow grade and sets up Junior Membership grade
The BILD is pleased to announce that Luke Lancaster, aged 16, has been awarded Honorary Fellowship status. Honorary Fellowship is the highest accolade that the Institute can convey on an individual, and is only awarded in exceptional circumstances. This is the first time that it has been awarded to anyone under the age of 30.
The award has been made in recognition of Luke's work in setting up Young Pioneers, and in particular his vision to turn Young Pioneers and Tomorrow's Leaders into global charities. The board were extremely impressed with Luke's foresight, determination and business acumen, particularly at such a young age.
Luke is the youngest recognised CEO of a charity in the UK and is currently 15. He set up Young Pioneers in 2008 when he was 12, with the aim of enabling young people to make a difference. Young Pioneers is a charity run by young people for young people, and its aim is to make it "Cool to Care", and to help young people advance in life by improving their social welfare and developing their key skills so that they can become mature and responsible adults. Since 2008, Young Pioneers has worked with 7,000 young people through its training programmes. This year it turned over £350,000 as well as winning a £487,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund for the next five years. Luke's charity currently employees 7 full-time staff members.
Luke has just launched the Tomorrow's Leaders project, preparing young people for leadership roles. He wants to turn Young Pioneers into a global charity, enabling the excellent work he has done in the UK to be expanded overseas and making a difference in the lives of many more children and young people.
In another pioneering move, the BILD has launched a junior membership level, in partnership with Young Pioneers, aimed at young people informally engaged in delivering training, development, coaching and mentoring. This new level of membership will provide a certificate of verification that demonstrates a young person has taken part in an activity where they have trained, developed, coached, mentored or volunteered to enrich the life of another person, thereby demonstrating it's "cool to care".
Luke said, "I am really excited about our partnership. The certification and membership with the BILD will empower young people and recognise when they have participated in enrichment, demonstrating that they have taken positive action to train, develop and help others."
Karen Velasco, Chairman of the BILD said, "The BILD is proud to be working with Young Pioneers and Luke Lancaster on such an exciting and valuable programme. Luke has an extraordinary vision and the determination to make a success of his charities. No other institution offers a junior membership scheme and the BILD sees this as an opportunity to really make a difference by recognising everyone working in or towards a learning and development activity."
For more infomation on this story please contact the Business Manager, Rich Wootten, on 0117 985 6949 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
