Faith in Action 2026

The Faith in Action Award is a national Catholic award that recognises, rewards, and celebrates young people aged 10–18 who live out their faith through service and reflection. Open to participants from schools, parishes, or organisations, the award builds on what young people already do to help others, encouraging them to deepen their relationship with God and explore their faith in a tangible and meaningful way. Through guided group reflections, personal journaling, and active service in their communities, participants are invited to connect faith with action, growing spiritually as they journey towards receiving their award.

Registration

Last year saw another increase in schools and parishes taking part in the FIA awards. And it was great to welcome about 800 young people to Lowe House over two days to receive their awards.

In 2025-2026 there have been some evolutions issued from CYMFed (the national board that oversees the award) to the award.And as the award continues to grow each year in our own diocese, we would ask that anyone that wants to take part in the award this year – even if you are a veteran and have done this since the beginning – come to an informal meeting on either:

10th October OR 24th October – here at Lowe House (WA10 2BE – Parking available in front of Church on North Rd).

1pm start to end by 2:30pm at the latest

We will provide light refreshments and it will be a chance to hear about the evolution of the award here and across the country; and also to chat to other schools involved and share best practice. If you are unable to come yourself, you are welcome to send someone from the school community who can feed back to you.

If you are unable to make either date we will try and arrange a Zoom at another time. But due to the evolution of the award from CYMFed that we have no control over here, and our own growth in our own archdiocese it is necessary to have those who wish to do the award in this academic year have the developments explained and allow us as a diocese to chat through what this means for us.

None of us like to have meetings for the sake of meetings but due to the changes and evolution of the award we cannot allow a group to be part of the award without either coming to the Reboot meetings in October or arranging another date with me.

So please do try and come along to one of the face-to-face meetings – if nothing else it should allow you to get an early afternoon finish on a Friday (we picked the day deliberately!).  

So we can manage numbers for the meetings, please could you register your attendance for a meeting via this link: https://forms.office.com/e/hhZRaQs2wb or email admin@animateyouth.co.uk

You are welcome to register for the award before attending the reboot meeting by registering at https://forms.office.com/e/CTfhzD7Efg or email admin@animateyouth.co.uk

Important Dates

Friday, 10th or Friday, 24th October 2025
FIA Reboot
Friday, 19th December 2025
FIA sign up deadline
Wednesday, 1st April 2026
Award ceremony Evenbrite link opens
Wednesday, 13th May 2026
FIA final piece deadline for schools/parishes
Monday, 18th May 2026
Moderators/volunteers meeting
Friday, 12th June 2026
Moderators deadline for final pieces
Wednesday, 17th June 2026
Award ceremony Evenbrite link closes
Tuesday, 23rd or Wednesday, 24th June 2026
Award ceremonies

Award Levels

Through a series of award levels, participants are encouraged to explore their faith, serve others, and reflect on their experiences.

Pin

Discovery

The Pin Level is for Year 6 pupils (age 10–11) and introduces how faith can shape everyday life. Through group activities in school or parish, young people begin to explore a relationship with God and how it inspires service and community.

Bronze

Service

The Bronze Level is for young people from Year 7 upwards and encourages a deeper sense of belonging to the Church through active service. Participants begin to see that faith connects them to a community and brings responsibility for its well-being, both locally and beyond.

Silver

Leadership

The Silver Level is for young people ready to take on leadership and reflect more deeply on who they are called to be. It encourages them to explore their vocation as a gift from God and to lead with faith and purpose.

Gold

Innovation

The Gold Level recognises a mature and active faith expressed through leadership, innovation, and outreach. This level encourages deeper spiritual growth and a clear link between personal faith and making a positive impact in the wider community.

Reflection Points

Reflection is a key part of the Faith in Action Award, helping young people connect their service to their faith. Alongside earning service credits, participants take part in six hours of guided reflection, exploring themes of Love and Service. These sessions, led by adults, support personal growth and encourage young people to consider how their actions shape both themselves and the world around them.

Award Ceremony 2026

Tuesday, 23rd or Wednesday, 24th June 2026

We wanted to make the award ceremony memorable and enjoyable for the young people that attend. So we thought that we would make the ceremony part of a ‘fun day’ to make use of the garden and facilities here at Lowe House.

For the ‘fun day’ part of the day you are welcome to bring a packed lunch or snacks for your young people and have a picnic in the garden.

Games Included: Crazy Golf, Go Karts, Interactive Shooting Gallery, IPS Football, Shooting, Inflatable Axe Throwing, IPS Zap – A - Mole, Arcade Basketball, Cactus Hoopla, Switch Room (Mario Kart and Just Dance).

There is, of course, no charge to stay and be part of the fun day and play the games and use the inflatables and have a drink and snack.