Nominations open for Irena Sendler Young Person Award

The Irena Sendler Young Person Award has been introduced to continue Irena’s enduring legacy of celebrating kindness, courage and tolerance towards others. Primary and secondary schools across the district can now nominate pupils to be recognised for selfless and thoughtful acts and good deeds towards others.

During the Second World War, Irena Sendler, worked tirelessly to help protect and rescue many Jewish children and their families in German-occupied Poland. She was part of a network of workers and volunteers who smuggled Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. She would provide them with false identity documents and shelter them with willing Polish families or in orphanages and other care facilities, saving those children from the Holocaust.

To nominate one of their pupils, schools are invited to submit a nomination explaining how the individual has demonstrated an act of kindness and selflessness either for a peer or for their wider community. This could be from wanting to make a difference in their community, raising money for a local charity or supporting someone going through a challenging time or an act of bravery.

The Award was formally launched on Holocaust Memorial Day by Newark and Sherwood District Council Chair Councillor Jean Hall and Newark Town Mayor Councillor Diane Ledger alongside dignitaries from the Polish community including Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester Ireneusz Truszkowski and His Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire Air Chief Marshall Rt’d Sir Andrew Pulford.

The closing date for nominations is Friday 27 June 2025 and awards will take place at the Newark and Sherwood Community Awards in September alongside the already established Irena Sendler Humanitarian Award.

Four winners will be chosen and will receive a £25 voucher and certificate, and their nominating school will also receive a contribution of £125 towards learning resources.

More information about the Irena Sendler Young Person Award is available on the District Council website: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/irena-sendler-young-person-award/

Councillor Jean Hall, Chair of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “I am delighted that nominations for the Irena Sendler Young Person Award are now open. Often acts of selflessness go unacknowledged, particularly those undertaken by our younger generation and my hope is that this award will shine a light on the brilliant acts of kindness and bravery our young people have shown to their friends, family and wider community.

“A significant number of awards and recognitions for school pupils can be purely academic and whilst this is always something to celebrate, I know from speaking to people across the district, community group leaders, schools and even from submissions from the Newark and Sherwood Community Awards last year that our younger generation do a lot of good in our communities and I am passionate we recognise these achievements.

“I am very much looking forward to reading about all of the amazing things our young people have done to help their communities.”

Councillor Diane Ledger, Mayor of Newark Town Council, said: “Newark Town Council is pleased to be able to work alongside colleagues at Newark and Sherwood District Council to introduce this award. The Holocaust stands as a stark reminder of the very worst of humanity. The scars of the Holocaust atrocities will never fully heal. As we come together on National Holocaust Day it is important that we inspire our next generation to emulate the incredible strength of character and compassion shown by Irena Sendler. It is with this award that we can try and encourage our next generation to positively contribute to society with the story of Irena Sendler as an inspiration for doing so.”

Karolina Gorazda, Head of Cultural Heritage at the Polish Cultural Institute in London, said: “As the Polish Cultural Institute, we are deeply proud to see the legacy of Irena Sendler honoured and continued in Newark. After the presentation of the Humanitarian Award in September 2024, we are delighted to see this idea extended to the younger generation through the Irena Sendler Young Person Award. Irena’s unwavering commitment to humanitarianism and selflessness remains a powerful inspiration, reminding us all of the profound impact one individual can have through acts of kindness.

“We are humbled that Irena Sendler is so warmly welcomed in Newark, that she has become a lasting symbol of humanity here, and that her award serves as another reminder of the strong relationship we have built with Newark over the past few years—not only in remembering the heroes of World War II but also in celebrating the vibrant Polish community in the area.”