ProMo Cymru, Youth Cymru, and Swansea YMCA have been announced as the latest recipients of the Quality Mark for Youth Work (QMYW) in Wales.

ProMo Cymru became the latest organisation to achieve the bronze award, Youth Cymru received both the bronze and silver, and Swansea YMCA received silver.

Administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC), the QMYW is a national award which supports and recognises improving standards in the provision and performance of organisations that deliver youth work services. In order to receive the accreditation, youth work organisations must self-assess against a set of quality standards and pass an external assessment.

To achieve the bronze, organisations demonstrated that they have appropriate leadership and governance, effective monitoring and evaluation processes, are safe, and act within a legal framework of policies. They also showed that they provide a welcoming and safe environment for young people who can access trusted and skilled staff and volunteers.

In achieving the silver, Youth Cymru and Swansea YMCA demonstrated that they promote inclusive practice, celebrate equality and diversity, plan their provision to meet the needs of young people, ensure that activities make an impact on young people and their outcomes, and deliver their services by an appropriately experienced and qualified workforce who involve young people in decision-making.

Marco Gil-Cervantes, Chief Executive at ProMo Cymru, said, “We are very proud of the young people we work with, our staff and achieving the bronze Quality Mark. The process has positively helped guide us into the future.”

EWC’s Development Officer for the QMYW, Andrew Borsden said “I would like to extend my congratulations to all three organisations on their recent achievements.

“These awards formally recognise the hard work and commitment staff at all of the organisations make each day in support of young people across Wales. Well done to everybody involved.”

The EWC are currently recruiting QMYW assessors. You don’t need any specific qualifications to become an assessor, but it helps if you're passionate about celebrating youth work in Wales and have an interest in quality assurance.

For more information about becoming an assessor, and about the QMYW in general, visit the EWC’s website.