We’re so pleased to finally share the news that our wonderful STAGE project worker Rebekah Vickers has been announced as this year’s winner of NWG’s Unsung Hero award for her work supporting transitions from “Adolescence to Adulthood”. This award recognises outstanding commitment to ensuring vulnerable young people have a smooth transition from adolescent to adult services. We are extremely proud that Rebekah has been rewarded for all her hard work in this area.
The STAGE project brings together women’s sector charities Basis, GROW, A Way Out, Together Women, and WomenCentre (Kirklees and Calderdale) to work across the North East and Yorkshire in areas where there are emerging, live and recent sexual exploitation investigations, funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s “Tampon Tax Fund.”
Since joining us as part of the STAGE project in 2019, Rebekah has been a tireless, passionate advocate for the needs of exploited women and girls over the age of 16. The service has enabled us to offer holistic, trauma-informed support tailored to victims and survivors, who may have previously struggled to access the help they need at this critical stage in their life. Rebekah has also actively drawn from her post’s collaborative possibilities to contribute to real sector-wide change on this issue. Co-operating with colleagues at Basis and support workers from the STAGE project’s six partnership organisations across the North, she has fought for improved responses to young women’s experiences from agencies at every level.
We welcome NWG’s immensely valuable recognition of Rebekah’s hard work. Our CEO Gemma Scire said: “I am so pleased to see Rebekah’s work recognised in such a prestigious manner. She is a hugely valued asset of our Basis team and this award is a testament to the absolute commitment and care she devotes to supporting exploited women in transitional stages of their lives. It is also a strong validation of the importance of Rebekah’s work, and of the STAGE project as a whole, in raising awareness of the needs of women and young girls, who have experienced, and continue to experience, exploitation.”
If you would like support or if you would like to refer someone please email us for a referral form: info-basis@basisyorkhire.org.uk or ring us at: 0113 – 243 0036
For more information on the STAGE project and the role it plays at Basis, please visit: https://basisyorkshire.org.uk/stage-project/