Stories_

Lottie, a recipient of the prestigious Legacy Award in 2021, has dedicated herself to mental health advocacy.

As part of the Social Action Accelerator Pilot from The Diana Award Mentoring Programme, a mentee from Space Studio West London wanted to help her local community by collecting donations to give to less fortunate children in hospital.

Confidence is the key: “Before the mentoring sessions, I had no idea on what to pick for my career”

In the fourth year of our Mentoring Programme, the young people concentrated their social action project, ‘A Helping Hand’, on mental health support services for the Jersey’s youth, both within and beyond secondary education.

Two groups of young people from Holy Family Carlton School were provided with extra support from volunteer mentors and The Diana Award staff, working towards fundraising for men’s mental health and increasing biodiversity and wellbeing at their school.

Salendine Nook High School participated in The Diana Award Social Action Accelerator Project, alongside the twelve-week Mentoring Programme. As their social action project, their students organised a football tournament, raising over £350 for their PE department.

For the Spring ‘24 cohort, the pilot project was based in Kingsmead School, Enfield. The project was led by two young people, Liyuu and Anastasia, who had completed the Autumn ‘23 12-week programme. The project focused on addressing homophobia and transphobia in the lives of young people.

In July 2022, 8 students from Turves Green Boys’ School, a secondary school in Northfield, Birmingham, took part in The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying training session, sponsored by the Department of Education.

In April 2024, Diana Award staff met with Anti-Bullying Ambassadors (ABAs) and staff from Barking Abbey to learn about the work they have been doing throughout the year and the impact on the wider community.

In April 2023, we had the opportunity to sit down with a Staff member from Bellan House at Oswestry School and discuss the impact of the Anti-Bullying Programme (ABAP) in their school.

In May 2023, The Diana Award team visited East Herrington Primary Academy to talk to their Anti-Bullying Ambassadors (ABAs) and staff lead about the impact of the Anti-bullying Ambassador Programme (ABAP).

Rydal Penrhos is a small independent school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. The Diana Award trained their Year 5 students as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in Summer 2021, with training sponsored by Nationwide Building Society.

Yusuf, a medical student at Oxford University, is on a mission to democratise the application process and tackle educational inequity in the medicine applications industry.

Sofia has been personally responsible for driving important change in enacting gender-sensitive legislation across Romania.

Shamim is a climate change activist and young leader, who has worked on various projects to raise awareness, including education programmes and campaigns.

Netra is a passionate young entrepreneur who is on a relentless mission to educate and empower girls from multiple countries in Asia and Africa.

Joel is an inspirational human rights advocate. After experiencing extremely challenging times, they felt compelled to tell his story authentically.

Alzheimer’s disease is a very lonely one, both for the patient and caregiver. As a young carer, Hailey wanted to create a community that supported those in similar situations.

Recognising the barriers that traditional financial services pose to impoverished minority groups by refusing loans due to insufficient financial collateral, Gobhanu was driven to create a solution.

Christina is a highly accomplished student advocate from Jamaica who has been integral in the ongoing transformation of the education sector in the Caribbean.

Chiara wanted to take action after finding out about the lack of access to education for ‘landfill children’ in Southeast Asia.

Alizey was exposed to poverty from a very young age, growing up in a city where half the population survives on less than $2 per day.

After witnessing the effects of the power crisis in rural India, Uday decided to act and help create a brighter future for communities in need.

When Sophie started at Bristol University, she faced unexpected hostility and prejudice due to her working-class background. Her peers, her background and her social class mattered more than her academic achievements in the eyes of the other students.

Raised as a Pakistani American, Sonny understands the unique privileges he carries, compared to the daily struggles his family and community existing in Pakistan.

Growing up in a rural community and as a first-generation university student, Oluwadamilola's story is about resilience, courage and determination.

After losing two loved ones to cancer, Olivia felt empowered to take something negative and create something positive out of it.

Nafira has always felt a profound sense of injustice at her unfair society, saying, "while my only problem in life was finishing homework, someone my age had to lift bricks for a mere meal. Tell me how that is fair".

Mental health advocacy and making mental health services accessible and affordable is one of the most remarkable selfless activities carried out by Manasi.

Maddison is a mental health lived experience advocate committed to reducing the stigma around mental illness.

Gabrielle is a passionate young leader who is determined to improve the quality of computer education in rural communities worldwide.

Dejea has dedicated herself to working for a better future for her home, the Cayman Islands, with the hope to create a future free of environmental destruction.

Last year, mentees in Jersey planned and delivered their youth-led social action project with support from The Diana Award Staff, volunteer mentors and the wider community. Hooded Helpers challenged negative stereotypes and promoted positive messages about young people instead.

Motivated by their personal experiences and discussions in the Mentoring Programme about the Black Lives Matter Movement and negative portrayals of young people in the media, two mentees from The Global Academy came up with a plan.

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 and moved between several different schools.

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, Vee has overcome her fair share of obstacles.

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 years old he decided to set up a blog to make learning resources available, completely free of charge.

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

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 swollen feet and saw how construction labourers, families and street vendors were all working barefoot in hazardous conditions.

Roudy is a Kurdish activist from Afrin who was forced to marry and have a child while still a minor in Syria.

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 entrepreneurship to elevate, educate, and empower girls to close the educational and economic gender gap.

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 during a violent political protest.

After attempting to take her own life following years of depression and an eating disorder, Lottie became determined to destigmatise discussions around mental health through education and raising awareness in her school and the wider community.

Hannah lives with probable Mitochondrial Encephalopathy, which is a terminal illness. Her work with ‘Together for Short Lives’ means she has spoken in parliament, medical conferences, and various NHS collaborations about her personal experiences of life-limiting illness.

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

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, she shares her own experience of living off free school meals to inspire others.

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

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

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 frontlines, working tirelessly as a volunteer on ambulances to support Italy’s overwhelmed healthcare system.

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 people to speak up against wrongdoings.

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 affecting them most.

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 for Peaceful Coexistence’, offering workshops on peaceful conflict resolution to young Columbians.

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 their communities.

After experiencing respiratory infections and asthma as a result of severe air pollution in Delhi, Aditya founded ‘Plant a Million Trees’, an initiative that started off with him planting a few saplings alone and sharing the photos on social media.

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 mental health issues.

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 of coping with his diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome.

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

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

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 Genital Mutilation while the subject was still taboo.

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

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 equality by speaking at school assemblies and on national television.

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 water access.

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 born premature and ended up in a coma.

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 equality.

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 decided to do something about it.

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

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

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 his younger brother, his teacher, and 150 of his classmates massacred.

Aditi is a passionate philanthropist, leader and advocate for women empowerment and global health. Her volunteer work for a wide range of causes has spread across the Canadian city of Ottawa and beyond.

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 abuse through the charity Safeline.

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 stigma around them.

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 across the world.

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

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 encourages others to develop a passion for sports and fitness.

Erick has burning desire to become part of solution to different public health challenges. He particularly pays attention to the fact that some of these challenges can be solved by simple measures like increasing community awareness and understanding.

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 families and negatively effects individual’s lives.

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 India have the facilities, funds and resources needed to build a better future through education.

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

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' with Nicholas strongly disagrees with, advocating for facial equality.

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 would have on other young people who were also neuro-divergent.

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 of young people living with HIV.

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, Pakistan and Bangladesh travel to the area to work and support their families back home.

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 from bowel cancer and his football hero, Bobby Moore.

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 Belfast.

Maya is both a role model and a compelling spokesperson for young refugees and migrants across the UK.

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 via a spelling board attached to a piece of perspex, with his communication partner reading his gaze to each letter.

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.

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 or humanitarian work.

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