A PROJECT working with thousands of young people across Derwentside has been shortlisted for a national award.

Derwentside District Council's innovative Special Project to Initiate Children's Elections (Spice) programme is one of 11 across the country to be shortlisted for Beacon status for its work with Positive Youth Engagement.

If it is successful, Spice will receive £50,000 to continue its work engaging young people in real decision-making in their local communities.

Spice was launched in 2001 with the aim of involving young people in democracy and community issues.

In the four years since then more than 9,000 young people and 40 schools have been involved in the programme, which is helping to nurture a new generation of informed and confident young people helping to shape the future of their communities.

Highlights include a referendum and two children's elections, which led to the creation of the Young People's Forum.

The forum unites 58 elected members with a budget of £10,000 to spend on youth projects across the district.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Spicetacular reward scheme, which allows pupils to trade in points given for good behaviour at school and attendance for free swims, toys and games, has been celebrated by young people and teachers alike.

Teachers have reported significant improvements in standards in local schools.

Derwentside Distrist Council cabinet member for strong communities, councillor Ann Taylor, said: "Spice is helping young people get involved in real decision-making with a real budget, giving them a true voice in matters that affect their lives."

Spice has already earned national recognition as the winner of the 2004 OPM Public Management Leadership Award which congratulated the project's "outstanding commitment, dedication and imagination in engaging young people and partner organisations in local democracy".

Policy manager Nick Tzamarias said: "This is not just a huge boost to all of us, here in the council offices, but to our thousands of young people, their parents and teachers, and our partner organisations who have helped make Spice such a fantastic success."

The results will be announced in April next year.