Stories_

Last year, mentees in Jersey planned and delivered their youth-led social action project with support from The Diana Award Staff, volunteer mentors an

Motivated by their personal experiences and discussions in the Mentoring Programme about the Black Lives Matter Movement and negative portrayals of yo

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors at William Hogarth Primary share why they are proud to be Ambassadors and the projects they have worked on together.

Students at Glenmoor & Winton Academies share why anti-bullying matters to them, and how our #FreeTheShoulders workshops have impacted their school.

Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome aged 9, Alex faced many challenges both physically and mentally. He was dismissed as a ‘naughty child' by teachers

From losing her father and leaving her home country of Zimbabwe, to feeling unsupported in her studies while juggling her part-time job at McDonald’s,

Vivi has had endometriosis and dysmenorrhea since she was young and was diagnosed with an ovarian tumour aged 17.

Around the world, students' access to resources, advice and support varies dramatically. To Zubair, this seemed grossly unfair, and so at just 16 year

While in his fourth year of medical school, Tunde was caring for a woman in labour when she started to bleed out. Unable to find a matching blood type

At the age of 13, Sia was concerned that people in her neighbourhood were not wearing footwear. She noticed adults and children with bruised and swoll

Roudy is a Kurdish activist from Afrin who was forced to marry and have a child while still a minor in Syria. Battling with the effects of war

Hiya saw from a young age the barriers and misogyny in society.In 2017, aged 14, Hiya launched ‘Fundraising for the Girl Child’, applying social entre

During childhood, Jahin’s best friend was forced into a child marriage. Then, in third grade, Jahin’s friends were attacked by a group of 25 men durin

After attempting to take her own life following years of depression and an eating disorder, Lottie became determined to destigmatise discussions aroun

Hannah lives with probable Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, which is a terminal illness. Her work with ‘Together for Short Lives’ means she has spoken in

Diana grew up living below the poverty line, working multiple jobs from sixth grade onwards to support her family. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at

Christina is a passionate activist with ‘Bite Back’, where she fights for a fairer and healthier food system. As the elected chair of the youth board,

At the age of 13, Carys founded ‘Carys Cares’, an organisation promoting the rights of people with Down’s syndrome through sharing their multi-talente

Her own struggle against anorexia motivated Ally to raise awareness of eating disorders, body dysmorphia and illness through the power of art. In 2020

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arian saw his home country of Italy struggling to cope. He made a selfless decision to go back to help on the f

Following the murder of a local journalist in Derry, Aodhán set up the social media page ‘Derry Footage’ to share stories and encourage other young pe

Aged 15, Anna was accepted as a volunteer Journalist with ‘First News’, where she educated over 2,000,000 young readers on the core social issues affe

Angelo witnessed the harmful effects of armed conflict as a child and has been campaigning for peace ever since. In 2009, he co-founded the ‘Network f

The Legacy Award was launched in 2017 to celebrate Diana’s legacy in the 20th Anniversary year and inspire a new generation of young people to service

After experiencing respiratory infections and asthma as a result of severe air pollution in Delhi, Aditya founded ‘Plant a Million Trees’, an initiati

This is Student Story. We would like to introduce you to Demi who was a mentee on the Leeds Mentoring Programme at Selby Community House.

Maddison received the Award for her commitment to improving the quality of life for children suffering from chronic or acute illness, injury, and ment

Ross is a committed volunteer who has selflessly given much of his time to help others. Ross began to create origami sculptures at age nine as a way o

Education should be a fundamental human right but sadly, over 13 million children are still out-of-school in Nigeria.Understanding the power of educat

Shomy is a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activist from Bangladesh. She has dedicated her life’s work towards ensuring clean water and sanitatio

Muna has been a determined, brave, and quirky activist from the age of 14. She began to discuss, raise awareness around, and campaign against Female G

As a lifelong passionate footballer, Olivia is campaigning to end sexism in girl’s football and introduce the sport into every UK primary school. She

Maya campaigns tirelessly on issues of equality and social justice. She is a leading member of her college’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and promotes

Having grown up and lived raised in a state of India that is deeply affected by water scarcity, Madhav is perhaps best known for his work on safe wate

George began raising money to say thank you to the hospital that saved his little brother’s life. When George was aged four, his brother James was

Growing up in Nepal, Kanchan experienced first-hand how women and girls often suffer the worst from malnutrition and poverty in South Asia.

Ezara-Mai is a committed and tireless advocate for young people. She believes that every young patient should have a voice.

Gabby is driven by a vision of a liveable and just future for all. She has dedicated herself to advocating for a healthier planet and educational equa

At the age of seven with a passion for coding, Avye became aware of the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and d

Connor is an incredible role model for determination, resilience, sheer grit, and passion.He established his charity in 2015 after two strokes followi

Daniel is driven to ensure that all young people across the political spectrum are listened to by political figures and that their issues are represen

Ahmad was just 14 when he survived a Taliban attack on his school in Peshawar, Pakistan by playing dead. He was badly injured, and the atrocity saw hi

Aditi is a passionate philanthropist, leader and advocate for women empowerment and global health. Her volunteer work for a wide range of causes has s

Córa-Laine has dedicated the past five years to helping other young people cope with and recover from the effects of emotional, physical, and sexual a

Following the tragic suicide of his brother, Ben had a bold idea: talking. He wanted people to open up about mental health problems to reduce the stig

Asha is a talented musician and change-maker committed to using the positive power of music and words to break down cultural and religious barriers ac

Mathew is a kind, compassionate and inspirational young anti-bullying ambassador and mentor, who has been the driving force behind his anti-bullying a

Eban is a committed volunteer who is driven by his passion for sports inclusivity. His volunteer work at school clubs and in his wider community encou

Erick has burning desire to become part of solution to different public health challenges. He particularly pays attention to the fact that some of the

Adam took part in the Mentoring Programme in January 2017 and his social action project focused on knife crime; how devastating it is, how it destroys

Logan was supported by mentors from Wakefield District Housing (WDH), Melon Holidays and a student from Leeds University.

Nikhiya has played a crucial role in changing the lives of nearly 6000 underprivileged children, through her initiatives that ensure children across I

Brooke is a courageous fundraiser, raising thousands of pounds for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Charity (RMCHC), having been treated there

Elsia has made it her mission to ensure the cultural traditions of the Mayan people, comprising 11.3% of the population of Belize are not forgotten.

Nicholas was born with a large congenital melanocytic nevus. This is classified under the Disability Act and medical terminology as 'disfigurement'

When Femi was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of seven, he wondered how it would shape his life, not realising the incredible influence he

Mercy is a courageous social activist who has used her own personal painful experience of stigma and discrimination to drive her commitment and pursui

Amaan has been a powerful force in supporting over 1000 labourers in the United Arab Emirates, where tens of thousands of workers hailing from India,

Jonjo is a remarkable, inspiring 15 year old who dedicates much of his time to fundraise for The Bobby Moore Fund in memory of his Nan who passed away

Dervla has been the driving force behind setting up The Enda Dolan Foundation after her brother Enda, was tragically killed in a road accident in Belf

Maya is both a role model and a compelling spokesperson for young refugees and migrants across the UK. Travelling from Damascus in Syria, Maya arrived

Elan is an exceptional sportswoman and coach who has helped thousands of young people across Wales build confidence and skills through sport.

A tireless campaigner and advocate for people with disabilities, Jonathan is nothing short of inspirational. Unable to speak, Jonathan communicates

After losing his father and mother in the same year, Garreth has been a pillar of support to his older sister and two younger brothers.

Aged 9, Jaylen decided to make a bold stand after being bullied for having Tourette syndrome and autism. Armed with his motto ‘Bullying No Way!’, he s

Since the age of 13, Joshua has acted as a full-time carer for his mother who has a complex mental health disorder, as well as his two younger sibling

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, The Diana Award is the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action

Ryan completed the Mentoring Programme in July 2017. “Our project was on knife crime and this is something we were really passionate about. Living in

Elsa is a Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador and has volunteered with The Diana Award on multiple occasions. She has just joined the 2018-2019 Diana

When Maryam volunteered for the Al-Isharah deaf charity she learnt sign language to better understand the challenges deaf people face.

Tom is an Anti-Bullying Ambassador who has bravely spoken out about his experiences of homophobic bullying and has became a powerful ambassador for ot

Komal realised that, even though she is a teenager, she can still help to make a positive change and do something for the benefit of others. The Mento

At just nine years old, Faith launched the charity Cuddles for Cancer after her aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her treatment, Faith’s a

Through The Diana Award’s Mentoring Programme, which connects pre-GCSE teenagers with Mentors from the world of work, Shomara planned and produced a s

Jemima has dedicated countless hours of her time to improving the lives of young people with disabilities through her highly successful Stingrays Swim