Kavindya, Thejitha win Queen’s Young Leaders Award

Monday, 19 January 2015 00:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Kavindya Thennakoon and Thejitha Saubhagya Edirisinghe from Sri Lanka are among 60 young people from across the Commonwealth who are being recognised as exceptional leaders in their community. These 60 young people are the first ever to receive a prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award. The Award, which will be presented in London by the Queen in June, and is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Program, celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities.

This year’s Award winners, aged between 18 and 29 and who come from all over the Commonwealth, are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of different issues including; education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality. Dr. Astrid Bonfield CBE, Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust said: “The leadership of talented young people in all spheres of life can transform communities and societies for the better. What the 60 young people announced today have achieved is remarkable and their plans for the future are truly inspiring. The Queen’s Young Leaders Program is poised to unlock the potential of this diverse and talented group of young people and we are delighted to be supporting them to go further and achieve more.” Each year from 2014 to 2018, 60 exceptional young people will be selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and become ‘Queen’s Young Leaders’ – one for every year that the Queen had served as Head of the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee. As part of the Award, winners will receive bespoke mentoring and online learning provided by the University of Cambridge. Award winners will attend a week-long residential program in the UK in June, when they will receive their Award at Buckingham Palace from the Queen.