The Pope John Paul II Award is a faith achievement award for young people between the age of 16 and 18. It is non-competitive, inclusive, flexible and voluntary.

The Award enables participants to take an active part in the life of their Church – in the life of their community and society. It enables young people become more aware of the teaching and role of the Catholic Church in the world and to engage at a deep level with Christ.

The Award was created to commemorate the late Pope Saint John Paul II who was so committed to young people and who had such belief and confidence in them. The Award was launched by the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, His Excellency Most Rev Dr Giuseppe Lazzarotto on 7th November 2006 in the Diocese of Derry, Ireland.

YMT have been running John Paul II Awards here in our own Diocese since 2016. Since then, we have had over 500 young people who have achieved the award across the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. For more information click https://thepopejohnpauliiaward.com/hexham-and-newcastle/

Even the pandemic has not stop our 2020-2021 Awardees. About 70 Pope John Paul II Awardees collected their gold and silver awards May 2020. See video of how we celebrated their incredible achievements.