Volunteers’ Week is a time to say thanks for the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. Join us this year to recognise the fantastic contribution our volunteer judges have made to this year’s Diana Award.
Karen is a qualified youth worker and teacher who supports schools and settings to continue a safeguarding improvement journey at North Lincolnshire Council.
Dr. Roy is passionate about working with the youth and has won over 50 awards including the prestigious “2021 Innovative Thinker Award” for his outstanding leadership contribution.
Nitin is Director for UK Financial Services at Tata Consultancy Services and a strong believer in the power of youth and is passionate about mentoring them towards building a better future.
Adekemi is a rural dentist breaking down barriers to oral health for underserved communities in Nigeria who won multiple accolades and published the first oral health story book in Nigeria “The Girl Who Found Her Smile”.
At the age of 14, Benjamin co-founded fumebo.org – an NGO that to date has served more than 90,000 people from low-income communities in the Dominican Republic providing them with health resources.
After 20 successful years as a marketing professional, Randa transitioned to higher education. Now she is a recognized thought leader on the power and appropriate use of media, including social media and digital placement.
Danny is a Canadian Singer/Songwriter and Music Philanthropist who believes in the power of music to bring out the best in people and is passionate about empowering the voices, stories, and abilities of young people through music.
From a young age, Harman was introduced to the Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Programme, realising the potential within herself and others to change the world. For her, it’s an honour to highlight inspiring changemakers.
Deniz is an internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, visual artist and writer who is passionate about social causes that benefit the global collective and has been a supporter of several non-profit organizations whose aim is to provide opportunities in nourishment and education to communities in need.
Ming Hong has 5 years of experience in the field of real estate, sustainable investing, socioeconomic development, and youth empowerment. He co-founded an award-winning environmental education non-profit in Malaysia that focuses on communicating science for climate action.
Soiphet is a proud recipient of the Diana Award 2021 and a former member of the Diana Award National anti-Bullying Youth Board who aspires to make a difference in the world by spreading kindness and raising awareness about diversity, bullying, and the impact of bereavement.
Aviva is the CEO and Founder of a University Blood Initiative. Her overall career objectives focus on finding solutions to social inequality in healthcare and strongly believes in the power of young people. She works to elevate those in her organization to their full potential so they can become great leaders during their time at UBI and beyond.
Sonia is passionate about making a positive environmental and social impact through her work and pursuits outside of work. She works in Sustainable Finance in London, using the power of the Finance industry to drive positive real-world outcomes.
Shantanu founded the Bee Free Campaign in 2015 which through the COVID pandemic has evolved into an innovative and meaningful mental health charity with an aim of giving people the tools that they need to help with their mental health.
Now retired, and living in the Northwest, Sue has worked in education with young people for most of her life as a music teacher, pastoral lead, and headteacher. Since retiring, she has pursued various volunteering roles in teaching.
Vicky is Owner-Director of Innate Coaching Ltd, specialising in leadership development and emotional agility. Vicki develops potential in areas of stress management, self-confidence in leadership, innovation, and resilience.
Xuan Zi Han is a youth climate advocate with the Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Currently, Zi Han reads Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at University College London.
EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, OCEANIA
Confidence is a Digital Citizenship/Online Safety Educator. She is the founder of “Internet Safe Kids Africa, a non-profit organisation that helps digitally connected children stay safe online, use Tech for good and equip them to use media and technology responsibly.
Muhammad Hussein has dedicated himself to recruitment, training, learning and development, and talent management. He is a co-founder of DeRiA, an award-winning environmental education non-profit in Malaysia.
Hidaya is an active member of the Youth Policy Center, and her goal is to spread awareness about issues that matter the most on a global level, encourage everyone around her to speak up, and help them improve their leadership and public speaking skills.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, NORTH AMERICA
A fun and feminist celebrant like no other, encouraging all couples and humans to be themselves and celebrate in a way they have always wanted to.
Saraniya is a Senior Business Development Officer at the mental health charity, Mind. She previously headed up The Diana Award’s Award and Development Programme and has over five years’ experience leading youth programmes both nationally and internationally.
With many people across the world have experienced the most difficult years of their lives recently, Olivia, who is a 2021 Diana Award recipient, finds it very inspiring that young people have continued to make a positive impact within the community.
Rachel is a multi-award-winning musician, a “Woman of the Year” 2020, the only British musician to be inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame, and hailed “an inspiration” by Prince Harry for her work mentoring young musicians from challenging backgrounds.
Alex is Director of Portland Education with nearly 3,000 hours of leadership coaching experience and eight years of bespoke vision-to-strategy consultancy for schools and organisations in the UK and globally.
Deborah was awarded a Diana Award alongside her twin sister in 2015 for her work in raising awareness of females in gang culture.
Dr. Torie is the Chief Visionary Officer of the Youth Mentoring Action Network, a non-profit organization building youth power globally through education, mentoring, and wellness. Tori is a mentor who resources young people with the aim of ensuring they have what they need to build the future.
Frederick is a British/Greek Anti-Bullying campaigner, educationist, director of studies and owner of 2 schools in Greece. In 2014, he launched his mu;ti-award-winning campaign, recognised internationally by organisations including The British Council, The British Embassy in Greece and The Diana Award.
Gabbi is currently working as a Family Support Worker for the Rainbow Trust, offering emotional and practical support to children and families of children who are suffering from long-term terminal illness. She is also studying for MSc in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at Edge University.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ASIA
Saffin is a TEDx curator and Programs Director at the 1 Million for 1 Billion Foundation, a non-profit organization with special consultative status to the UN ECOSOC and associated with the UN DGC. He believes in the power of storytelling to evoke empathy and achieve positive change.
Shwetal has launched a mini-grants giving initiative giving funding to young people aged 11-25 to work on social action projects (STEAM/Peace), to learn new skills, provide access to mentors and enable young people to create a positive impact on their communities.
Sammy has worked for both Durham University and London School of Economics in their volunteer departments, working to support and empower students to volunteer whilst at university and make the world a better place.
From Jenny’s professional experiences and her current studies, she is interested in how international education and youth engagement can build meaningful relationships and bridges across differences and foster positive social change globally.
Mapaseka is a social worker at Women and Aids in Africa Lesotho working on an OVC project prioritizing the needs of children living with HIV. She is passionate about community development, youth leadership and humanitarian work.
Soyemi currently is an advisory board member at Born This Way Foundation, the organization is jointly owned by Lady Gaga and her mother. He also served as a 2021 Application Reader for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship and worked with Grand Challenges Canada as a Young Innovation Reviewer.
Anojitha is a youth activist based in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. She is serving as a member of the Global Refugee Education council, to support Canada’s “Together for Learning Campaign” – an international campaign to ensure that all refugee and displaced children can access the education they need and deserve.
Richard spends his free time volunteering with St. John Ambulance. As the national DofE Manager, he also leads the implementation of the award across England, to ensure that young people have access to the opportunities offered by the programme. This is his third time being a judge for the Diana Award!
Despite barriers due to her young age, Chaviaviews herself as someone responsible to contribute starting with the smallest things. Her new journey starts here, contributing as one of the judges in The Diana Award 2022 Judging Panel.
Leeann is a trained mental health first aider and is passionate about helping overcome the stigma around mental health issues. By far her greatest role is raising six children, one of whom has complex mental health needs, which is how she became aware of the Diana Award programme.
Claire has worked in the non-profit sector for over 20 years and her career supporting young people experiencing hardship, brokering access to a range of specialist help such as housing, mental health support and social services.
In 2016, Aaditya initiated the “Go-Getters” Youth Action Group with a vision to support the UN SDGs by progressively empowering children and young adults to become exemplary changemakers. He was awarded the Diana Award in 2019 for his exceptional environmental and humanitarian work.
Chantal has volunteered in a number of countries including teaching primary school pupils in remote communities in Indonesia and helping to rebuild homes destroyed in bushfires in Australia. Her latest professional role saw her securing funding to support a wide range of charities.
Working with The Diana Award from 2018-2020, Charlton has direct insight and experience of the incredible work the organisation does to empower young people in this country and around the world.
Bhagyashree is the Founder and CEO of Empower – an International platform and publication enabling the next generation of global trailblazers. Her work has been published in prominent newspapers such as Hindustan Times, Times of India, Mumbai Times, Doha Debates among others.
Lisa is a consultant in the north-west supporting primary schools in developing specialist provisions, SEND, safeguarding, strategic development and governance. She was a Diana Award recipient in its launch year and the charity will always hold a significant place in her heart.
Dimitri has worked on NHS policy and strategy for 15+ years. He is a trustee of a healthcare research charity and served on committees of advisory and executive non-departmental public bodies, professional bodies, and independent regulators.
Maya is a 2020 Diana Award recipient, the Founder and Director of Autism Siblings and Friends Network, the NGO she started at the age of 12 with an aim to create opportunities and advocate for the inclusion of her autistic brother and others with special educational needs.
Olivia has curated the programme for Voxburner’s Youth Marketing Strategy festival around the world for over 6 years supporting a mission to inspire audiences to better understand the lives of young people today and to help brands use their powerful voices to impact and positively champion young people.
Roper became an Award recipient at the age of 14 having completed a solo cycle challenge for the NSPCC and his anti-bullying efforts in his school and local community in Kent. Since then he has been an active member of the Diana Award.
Moni is a Special Education Needs (SEND) Partner for local government, working as part of the management and legal decision-making team for young people with special educational needs and disabilities ensuring the best possible outcomes for the lives of young people with SEND needs.
Rebecca currently works as a University Access Officer for The Access Project, a charity which supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access top universities. She mentors students to increase their self-confidence and provides them with tailored advice on applications and interviews.
Lucy received the Diana Award in 2005 for volunteering in her community and is thrilled to be on the judging panel having gained so much from volunteering herself and being passionate about recognising young people going above and beyond to make a difference.
As a young leader, Yi Kang is a trained Childline counsellor at NSPCC UK, and the co-founder of several student-led organisations such as Welfare Taskforce for Malaysian Students Abroad and One Young World Cambridge.
Since joining JKR in 2015, Rebecca has helped build the strategic offer by working at the intersection of culture and commerce to define distinctive brand experiences and strategies that deliver growth for global businesses, start-ups. charities and NGOs. She led on the redesign of The Diana Award branding too.
Lorna is a mental health trainer and campaigner who has been working and volunteering across a range of mental health charities for the past five years. She is passionate about mental health and shares her story in order to help reduce stigma and suffering.
Monty has a strong interest in challenging injustices through the rule of law. Monty’s advocacy work and engagement was recognised after being awarded the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award & The Diana Award.
Sayyida is a mental health clinical counsellor and the founder of Not Alone Campaign for Mental Health and Whispers of Serenity Clinic, the first private specialized mental health and well-being clinic in Oman.
Rijve is a multi-award-winning community development practitioner and a dedicated youth activist. He has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 and highlighted as the Featured Honoree for Social Impact
Annum is a Partnerships Manager at the Youth Futures Foundation and works to drive positive change in the employment outcomes for young people from marginalised backgrounds. She passionately believes in working together to drive meaningful change.
At Future Foundations, Alice facilitates the connection and collaboration of an international movement of young people, teachers, and schools through effective digital content, including social media management and email communications.
International Women’s Day, taking place annually on 8 March, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year, we asked 2020 Diana Award recipient Ananya Jain to reflect on their journey as an Indian woman who immigrated to the US, and what this year’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress’, means to them.
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, taking place annually on 11 February, celebrates women's impactful contributions to science while emphasising the need to encourage girls to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.).
Oluwatomi Olunuga received her Diana Award in 2023 for her significant contributions to the fight against Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria. In observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, we asked her to share her thoughts and work, giving us all actions that we can take locally in the fight against FGM.
