‘I can’t wait to see what else I could achieve’: Top military award for ULAN youth work student

A University of Lancashire student who spent months supporting the families of soldiers has been given a special military award.

Georgia Dixon was presented with the Commander’s Coin after years of volunteering with the Army Welfare Service, which supports the families of service members deployed in the UK and overseas.

Now in her final year of studying youth work and community development in Preston, Georgia was given official recognition thanks to her work at Chetwynd Barracks, Nottingham, where her father was stationed - and where she spent many years of her youth.

While living there, Georgia herself received support from the Army Welfare Service to deal with the challenges of being a military child, who make up roughly 0.5 per cent of children in schools.

In 2011, the Ministry of Defence commissioned a special Ofsted survey into the experience of military children in the UK, of which there are thought to be more than 100,000.

It found that service children were more likely to face barriers in education, particularly as they were more likely to move around the country than non-military children.

Siblings in military families were also more likely to be split into different schools due to admissions issues, and more likely to either miss or repeat parts of the curriculum from school to school.

They were also more vulnerable to poor mental health and isolation, particularly while their family member was on active deployment.

While service children do face additional barriers while growing up, the Army Welfare Service works to provide them with additional support in both education and social activities.

Their work includes providing weekly youth clubs, residential trips, community events, and tailored one-to-one support.

Having benefitted from the service herself, Georgia soon began volunteering to support others in the military community - and eventually went on to do a university placement within the Army Welfare Service.

It saw her work directly with military children in social activities and residential trips to help them build their confidence, particularly while their family members were away.

Last week, Georgia attended the opening of a newly-renovated youth club at Kendrew Barracks, Rutland.

Earlier in November, she was presented with the Commander’s Coin by Rebecca Wakefield, Chief Community Development Officer, on behalf of the Army Welfare Service and its Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sam O’Shea, thanks to her work at Chetwynd Barracks.

Looking ahead, she said she hopes to use her experience to become a youth worker and continue to support young people in military families.

“What I find most rewarding is being able to support the young people in the way I wish I had been supported growing up as a military child,” she said.

“I find it so rewarding being able to provide experiences they may have missed out on.

“Being thrown in the deep end and given the opportunity to do things I’d previously have run in the other direction from has taught me confidence, but also allowed me to gain real life experience, which is something you can’t get in a classroom.

“I can’t wait to see what else I could achieve.”