Global Academy is delighted to celebrate that Vanessa Sam in Year 10 has received a prestigious Diana Award for going above and beyond in her daily life to create and sustain positive change.
Vanessa Sam, aged 14, from South London has been recognised with the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts – The Diana Award.
Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.
At nine years old, Vanessa realised that she wanted to help others. Now 14, she is as committed as ever. During lockdown, one of the most difficult times for teens in recent memory, she continuously highlighted the importance of teen mental health issues and partnered with a number of organisations to motivate, encourage and inspire teens. Vanessa spoke virtually at schools, worked with organisations such as the ‘Young Urban Arts Foundation’ and the BBC to help tackle issues ranging from self-care in lockdown to youth knife crime. Vanessa’s message and goals are to inspire and motivate the next generation to believe in themselves, love themselves and encourage others to do the same.
Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award, says:
“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients from the UK and all over the globe who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens. For over twenty years The Diana Award has valued and invested in young people encouraging them to continue to make positive change in their communities and lives of others.”
Award recipients have been put forward by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and recognised their efforts as a positive contribution to society. Through a rigorous nomination process, these nominators had to demonstrate the nominee’s impact in five key areas: Vision, Social Impact, Inspiring Others, Youth Leadership, and Service Journey.
There are 12 Diana Award Judging Panels representing each UK region or nation and a further three panels representing countries outside of the UK. Each panel consist of three judges; one young person, an education or youth work professional, and a business or government representative. The panels have an important main purpose: to determine which nominations from each UK region/nation/country will receive The Diana Award.
Nominations are judged using the Criteria Guide and Scoring Guide which have been created to measure the quality of youth social action.
Congratulations to Vanessa from everyone at Global Academy
