STUDENTS at Budmouth College are celebrating achieving Youth Group of the Year at the Dorset Police Youth Awards

As reported in the Echo the youth group was selected in September and have now been presented with their achievement at a special youth awards evening.

The college has a well-established student leadership programme which includes Budmouth Organisation of Student Safety (BOSS).

At the Dorset Police Youth Awards, Budmouth’s BOSS were presented with their award by Martyn Underhill, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner.

The students also had the opportunity to meet HM Lord Lieutenant Angus Campbell and Michael Tomlinson MP.

BOSS is a group of students who work voluntarily inside of Budmouth College to raise awareness of bullying and campaign to improve student’s personal safety.

Each year Budmouth College receives and intake of nearly 300 students in Year 7 arriving from more than 16 primary schools.

BOSS student leaders are heavily involved in meeting the new Year 7 students and escorting them to and from lessons around the college’s campus.

All of this forms part of the college’s integrated plan to settle the new students with as much ease as possible.

Anti-bullying is the cornerstone of BOSS.

The group originated a decade ago as peer mediators, specially trained students who worked during break and lunchtimes to mediate social conflict between students.

This work still continues today with a more proactive approach by the student leaders going into daily tutor time and assemblies to give information, advice and guidance of how to better deal with and avoid social conflict and report incidents of bullying.

The impact of this is that the wider student population know who BOSS are and recognise their campaign to minimize bullying.

E-safety has become increasingly important to BOSS and their work in this area particularly impressed the judging panel.

BOSS student leader, Ethan Harwood, from Year 10, said: "We have attended numerous youth conferences on this issue and have presented to Budmouth students through tutor time and assemblies on the dangers of social media, how to cope if a young person encounters an issue and to promote safer behaviour when using the internet and social media."

In the past year BOSS hosted a Diana Award Anti-Bullying Training Day, the only one in the South West of England, with more than 100 students from schools in Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Devon attending.

The current group is made up of 25 students representing Years 7 to 11 and they meet weekly with their coordinator, Clair Oetegenn, to check the progress of their projects.

Clair was bowled over on the students receiving the award. She said: "They are such a lovely group of students. They give up their time every week to try and make life better for others. I am thrilled for them."

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