London, Dec 9 (IANS) Two Indians have been chosen winners of the prestigious Queen's Young Leaders Award of 2016 for exhibiting exceptional community leadership qualities.
Kartik Sawhney, 21, and Neha Swain, 28, will be presented with the awards in London by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2016, the Royal Commonwealth Society said.
"Once again, 60 incredible young people from around the Commonwealth have shown strength, leadership, empathy and drive. Some of our winners are just embarking on their leadership journey and others are more established," Astrid Bonfield, chief executive of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was quoted as saying.
"Either way, we recognise not only what these amazing young people have achieved, but also their potential in changing people's lives for the better in the countries and communities in which they live."
Sawhney has been honoured for his exceptional work highlighting universal access to education for all, while Neha has been selected in recognition of her work as a youth facilitator and as co-founder of the Hyderabad-based NGO Rubaroo.
Rubaroo's aim is "to create a platform, which is a safe and inclusive space for young people to access opportunities of learning and self-development".
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.
The Queen's Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society in recognition of the British monarch's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.
As Queen's Young Leaders, Sawhney and Swain will be allocated a mentor with relevant experience and expertise who will support them over the course of the year to continue and develop their work.
They will also have the opportunity to meet with inspiring people and visit organisations in Britain that have expertise in areas such as media and communications, social action and advocacy.
