THE SEARCH IS ON FOR SOUTH WALES’ MOST INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE

Nominate a young changemaker today in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Nominations are now open for young people aged 9-25yrs. 

https://diana-award.org.uk/nominate

Deadline for nominations: 12 March 2021

Do you know a young person who is changing your community and improving lives? Celebrate their achievements by nominating them for a 2021 Diana Award.

This year is especially significant as July marks what would have been Diana, Princess of Wales’ 60^th Birthday.  The Diana Award is the only charity in memory of the late Princess and her belief that young people have the power to change the world. 

Successful nominations will be honoured at a virtual award ceremony in the summer and will pay tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales in the days leading up to what would have been her 60^th birthday.

Last year, The Duke of Sussex, Dame Emma Thompson DBE, Liam Payne, Will Poulter, Dan Smith from Bastille and more surprised 2020 recipients in the first Diana Award virtual ceremony including Saba Humayun, 25 from Swansea. Saba supports and helps integrate asylum seeking women into the wider community (full case study below).

Research from The Diana Award demonstrates that, despite the pandemic, the vast majority of young people want to make a positive impact on society. Nominating them for The Diana Award is the most prestigious platform to celebrate their achievements. 

The Diana Award is the highest accolade a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian efforts. The youth charity, of the same name, benefits from the support of The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, is urging communities across the globe to nominate a young person who deserves to be recognised.  

“COVID-19 has altered the lives of so many. But with great challenges, come opportunities to make change. We need your help to find the next generation of local young heroes changing the world around them.”Tessy Ojo, CBE, CEO of The Diana Award.

Recipients of the award have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilise their own generation to service their communities through campaigning, volunteering, fundraising, fighting injustice or overcoming extreme life challenges.

Isabel Francis, 22 from Swansea received the Diana Award in 2020.

Isabel volunteers her time at the Swansea Law Clinic and once she realised the law’s ability to do good, she became passionate about the Clinic’s aims. She founded the Clinic’s outreach provision at ‘Eastside Foodbank’ in east Swansea. The city is a universal credit roll out area which has caused problems for people waiting for their benefits and finding that they were receiving less in payments. Isabel has been able to work in a multi-agency way to ensure that people using the foodbank not only receive the advice they need but also have their problems addressed holistically, bringing different agencies together to work as one.

Saba Humayun, 25 from Swansea received the Diana Award in 2020.

Saba is committed to supporting and integrating asylum seeking women into the wider community through equal access to opportunities. Saba works alongside charities, the Welsh Government and South Wales Police to transform attitudes and promote inclusion. She volunteers as a mentor to other newly arrived asylum seekers and acts as an interpreter. Overcoming many obstacles, Saba has used her creative skills and event organisation to deliver an Ethnic Fashion Show and Exhibition, train participants in photography and to fundraise for a local women’s group.

Declan Andrews-Jones, 16 from Cardiff received the Diana Award in 2020.

Declan is a loyal and committed member of the BulliesOut Youth Ambassador group. Declan has experienced bullying himself and has witnessed it happening in school around him. He is passionate about dealing with this issue and delivers presentations to his peers to raise awareness. Declan participates in regular meetings, offers training and assists with events and activities, whilst also creatively organising activities of his own.

Mercy Ngulube, 21 from Cardiff received the Diana Award in 2017 and went on to receive the coveted Legacy Award in the same year from HRH The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex.

Mercy is a courageous social activist who has used her own personal painful experience of stigma and discrimination to drive her commitment and pursuit of equality for young people living with HIV. Mercy is the current Chair of the Children’s HIV Association’s Youth Committee and uses this role to drive campaigns on behalf of young people living with HIV. She is praised for representing CHIVA and the wider community of young people living with HIV with professionalism, realism, humour, passion and intelligence. Mercy also uses the CHIVA Twitter account and her own activist account to correct online misinformation about HIV and challenge negativity and ignorance. She took this campaign to a new level during the media storm around the ‘outing’ of US Actor Charlie Sheen’s HIV status in November 2015. Mercy spent hours trawling through all the tweets denouncing Charlie Sheen as ‘dirty’, countering the prejudice and hate with correct information. In July 2016, Mercy spoke to HRH Prince Harry at the International HIV Conference in Durban South Africa about how HIV is portrayed in society and the media, and how together they could combat the stigma.

All 2021 Award recipients will also be considered for the biennial Legacy Award later this year, which was set up in the 20^th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death to celebrate the achievements of twenty exceptional young changemakers from across the world.