SHARING intricate arts and crafts skills with fellow youth club members has brought out the confidence in Olivia Hallam.
The 13-year-old has been nominated for a 4Uth award and has seen her confidence skyrocket since she shared her talents.
4Uth is an annual award run by the Post and Nottinghamshire County Council. It is for youngsters who have excelled or battled against the odds in the last year.
Olivia, of Melrose Avenue, Beeston, said attending the Beeston Young People's Centre has helped her come out of her shell.
"I've taught other people how to decorate bags and put patterns on them. The other day I showed someone how to do golden swirl patterns with butterflies and floral designs on them.
"It's helped me with my confidence and I've made a lot of new friends – they all seem to be really interested in it."
She was nominated by youth worker Nikki Loydall, who said Olivia sometimes found herself out of her comfort zone since she started at the centre more than two years ago.
"There's lots of new people at the youth club and since I've gone there I've been a lot more talkative, especially to people I've not met before," said Olivia.
"I've always been quite a creative person and I enjoy making crafts and can show people how to do those sorts of things."
Olivia not only helps out by offering to pass on her creative talents, the attentive teenager also volunteers for coffee bar duty at the centre, in West End, Beeston.
"I like to help out because I feel I'm doing a lot for others," Olivia added. "Helping others and keeping the place ticking over is nice and I like to make sure everyone else is OK."
Nikki Loydall said: "Olivia is a keen artist and is brilliant at craft work. She has worked through some of the issues as to why she has struggled to make new friends and socialise, and a lot of that was down to her personal confidence."
Councillor Liz Plant, vice-chairman of the children and young people's committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "Olivia's confidence has clearly grown in recent months and she is benefiting from the support from her local youth centre and is giving a lot back to others, too. She is a worthy nominee for these awards."
The 4Uth awards are handed to a young person from each of the county's seven districts in early September. An overall winner is crowned later that month at an awards ceremony.
To vote for a young person who you think deserves a 4Uth award, visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/4Uth.
