As a young man Joshua was excluded from main stream school but with support, guidance and love achieved great success in music. Since Joshua's death Alison has spoken to many young people in alternative education.  When a child loses their main stream school place they are excluded from the experience of attending their school prom, awards evenings and some are not allowed to have work experience due to the stigma around alternative provisions  .A lot of these young people have a range of emotionally and mental health issues. Youth offender prisons are made up of 87% of people who were excluded from mainstream school so engaging them early and supporting their emotional and mental health is key for them to progress positively. The Joshua Ribera Achievement awards was set up by Alison to help incentivise and celebrate positive changes made by these young people as she felt it was crucial to formally recognise their achievements  and to offer additional support through various training providers.