A NEWTON Abbot youth worker helping young people challenge misogyny, sexual harassment and violence against women and girls has been named as a finalist in this year’s West Country Women Awards.

Lucy Rhodes, Lead Youth Work Practitioner at SPACE Youth Services, has been shortlisted in the Combatting Violence Against Women and Girls category for her work leading the innovative ‘Is This Okay’ programme.

Working with schools across Devon, Lucy supports young people at risk of experiencing or displaying harmful sexual behaviours, while tackling sexual harassment and misogyny.

Through education, early intervention and a youth-led approach, Lucy has helped give hundreds of young people a voice and create a safer school environment.

She said the work was driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference to young people’s lives.

Speaking to the Mid-Devon Advertiser, Lucy said: ‘The reason we do this work is because you want to change the lives of the young people that we work with every day.

‘I see the harms that they are experiencing and the things they’re experiencing and the things they’re going through, and I don’t want that to be the world.

‘I want them to feel safe when they go online, in their community and in their schools’.

Lucy said some of the experiences reported by children as young as 12-years-old were particularly concerning.

For instance, girls being approached by men in the street and subjected to various kinds of sexual harassment, alongside disturbing and threatening messages being sent online.

Lucy said the ‘Is This Okay’ programme is regularly updated using feedback from young people and schools to ensure it remains relevant to the issues they are facing.

She described the work as ‘super fulfilling’ but admitted that hearing about the experiences of young people also made her angry - something she says helps drive her determination to make a difference.

Looking ahead, Lucy hopes to continue developing the programme, while also working to change the culture in schools from within.

‘I feel very humble that it’s being recognised’, Lucy said.

Lucy said she hoped the awards recognition would also help shine a light on the work being carried out by SPACE to make life safer for young people.

The Combatting Violence Against Women and Girls category is sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The finalists were announced at a special event at Powderham Castle in October.

Lucy will go forward to the West Country Women Awards Grand Final in November, alongside Sherilee Rollinson, founder of Empower Core Programs CIC, and Claire Knight, founder and chief executive of Phoenix Rising New Beginnings CIO.

SPACE Youth Services provides a range of youth sessions across Devon, offering safe and inclusive spaces for young people aged 11 to 19.

The organisation operates eight youth centres across the county.