TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (GUARDIAN) — Two T&T nationals are among a group of young people across the Commonwealth who will receive awards from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, in London later this month.
Benedict Bryan and Jean-Claude Cournand were selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award on June 26, according to a release.
The awards recognise the work that young people from across the Commonwealth are doing to transform lives in their community and beyond.
Bryan, 26, of Couva, the founder of the Humanitarian Association of the Republic of T&T (HARTT) which focuses on providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, will receive an award for the work he is doing to improve social equality in his country, while Cournand, 28, of Tunapuna, will receive an award for the work he is doing to raise awareness of social issues through the 2 Cents Movement—which uses spoken-word poetry to encourage young people to address them.
The two men were selected following a competitive process involving thousands of applicants across the Commonwealth. Together they join a network of 240 powerful young leaders, from 53 Commonwealth countries, who are driving change to make the world a better place.
The 2018 Queen’s Young Leaders are finding solutions to global issues such as climate change, food scarcity, gender-based violence, mental health, and access to education.
The Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners take part in a year-long leadership course run by the University of Cambridge and receive bespoke mentoring. They will visit the UK for a program of high-profile networking opportunities, meetings and training designed to help them develop as leaders and work with ever greater impact.
During their time in the UK, Bryan and Cournand will visit the Prime Minister’s office at 10 Downing Street, take part in master classes at the BBC World Service and the UK headquarters of Facebook. Award winners will then meet with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and High Commissioners from across the Commonwealth, before receiving their award from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. They will also attend workshops at the University of Cambridge and visit projects that are changing the lives of vulnerable people in the UK.
The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth. (guardian.co.tt)
