Dufftown youth stalwart Elaine reflects on ‘humbling’ BEM honour
A new recipient of the British Empire Medal (BEM) has described the honour as “humbling”.
Elaine Clarke, from Dufftown, was one of two BEMs awarded to people in Banffshire in the King’s birthday honours list.
Her BEM was recognition of her services to young people through the organisation Speyside Youth, which she has chaired for the last seven years or so.
The organisation’s core aim is to help youngsters aged between P7 and S3 develop a wide range of life skills and help them make a difference in their own communities.
Covering the Moray community boundaries of Speyside and Dufftown and district, the group work with kids through a structured programme of support, opportunity and activity provided by a team of youth workers. This includes a twice-weekly youth café.
A bolt from the blue was in store when the official notification of the honour dropped through her letterbox.
Mrs Clarke said: “It’s quite humbling; I’m surprised and delighted.
“I must admit that I’ve been quite overwhelmed by the reaction from family, friends and the community since the news was announced.
“When the letter came in inviting me to either accept or decline the BEM, it was a total surprise. I thought ‘What have I done?’.”
Mrs Clarke has been involved as a volunteer right from the beginning of Speyside Youth. Back in 20123, while working at Glenfiddich distillery, she took on the role as a representative on a staff forum. From this emerged the idea of forming a youth project and, after initial scoping and feasibility studies, Speyside Youth was born in 2015.
The reason for the group’s enduring success is actually quite simple.
She continued: “The main objective is provide a safe place for young people to meet and be themselves.
“The key difference with Speyside Youth is that we’re youth-led and have a youth committee which decides the programme of events.
“The main reason for our success is that the young people are telling us what they want to do rather than adults telling them what to do.
“We have noticed a big difference post-Covid in that there’s more demand for one-to-one support from a mental health point of view. We’re using more resources to support individuals and families through challenging issues and times.
“Overall I think Speyside Youth has helped young people develop the likes of confidence and communication skills, as well a lot of transferable skills.”
The last 10 years have been hugely rewarding, Mrs Clarke said.
“It’s really satisfying that I’ve had the opportunity to play a part in the success of young people.
“I feel privileged to have had the chance to work with Speyside Youth and to make a difference.”
For more information on Speyside Youth, visit https://dufftowncommunity.co.uk/community/speyside-youth/
