West Coast girl to be honoured with Queen’s Young Leader Award

Marva Langevine, 25, of West Coast Demerara (WCD), Guyana will be honoured with the Queen’s Young Leaders Award at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London.

The Award recognises the work that young people from across the Commonwealth are doing to transform their communities.

Langevine will be honoured for the work she is doing to improve the lives of bereaved, sick and underprivileged families in Guyana.

The young lady was selected following a competitive process involving thousands of applicants across the Commonwealth.

Together, they join a network of 240 powerful young leaders, from 53 Commonwealth countries, who are driving change to make the world a better place.

Last year, Guyana’s Samantha Sheoprashad was bestowed with the prestigious award for the work she has been doing to help disadvantaged communities in the country.

According to a press release from the programme coordinators, the 2018 Queen’s Young Leaders is focused on finding solutions to global issues such as climate change, food scarcity, gender-based violence, mental health, and access to education.

Langevine is quoted as saying: “I am beyond excited to set off to London for the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme! I extend my gratitude to Her Majesty The Queen and the amazing organising team for the invaluable support and networking opportunity through this prestigious programme. The experience has been revolutionary thus far and I am deeply moved by the increased support for bereaved children in Guyana. I am eager to meet my fellow Queen’s Young Leaders to grow and develop as a strong network committed to making a difference.”

The Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners take part in a year-long leadership course run by the University of Cambridge and receive bespoke mentoring. They will visit the UK for a programme of high-profile networking opportunities, meetings and training designed to help them develop as leaders and work with ever greater impact.

Later this month, during their time in the UK, Langevine and the other winners will visit 10 Downing Street, take part in masterclasses at the BBC World Service and the UK Headquarters of Facebook. Award winners will then meet with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and High Commissioners from across the Commonwealth, before receiving their Award from Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace on June 26.

They will also attend workshops at the University of Cambridge and visit projects that are changing the lives of vulnerable people in the UK.

The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

To see a full list of Award winners and highly commended runners-up, and to learn more about their stories, please visit www.queensyoungleaders.com