Three Pakistanis honoured with Queen's Young Leaders Awards in UK

LONDON: Three Pakistanis, Mahnoor Syed, Haroon Yasin and Hassan Mujtaba Zaidi  were honoured  with the Queen's Young Leaders Awards here at the Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. 

The  amazing  youngsters made the nation  proud as they  were presented with  medals by Queen Elizabeth II for outstanding contributions to their community.

Britain´s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were among those who greeted the winners of a special youth leadership award from Queen Elizabeth in a festive ceremony which was also attended by soccer star David Beckham and former prime minister John Major.

The Queen's Young Leaders Awards are given on the basis of the youth's community services and recognise exceptional people between the ages 18 to 29, across the Commonwealth, who are taking a lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.

According to Geo News,  Syed's start-up 'Spread the Word', began when she partnered with seven schools to hold extra-curricular workshops for students on issues such as bullying, child abuse, and mental and physical health.

In addition, Syed has partnered with an organisation called 'Khwajasira Support' to raise funds for the vocational training of 50 transgender persons.

Having founded Orenda, Yasin is dedicated to providing children from underprivileged backgrounds a chance to receive a good education. With a mission to build a dynamic education model to help young children develop, his project teaches Pakistani children the national curriculum through an engaging digital education model.

Zaidi uses art to help educate marginalised young people in Pakistan. His creation is Discovering New Artists (DNA), which offers free art training, as well as primary and secondary education, to students who are unable to afford school fees.

Winners of the prestigious award receive a unique package of training, mentoring, and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK, during which they collect their award from Her Majesty The Queen.

 Addressing  the "future leaders" from Commonwealth countries at a Buckingham Palace, Prince Harry said; "You are the future leaders who will need to pick up the baton on issues such as climate change, food security, equality and access to education, and improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in our communities."