A 400-level medicine and surgery student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Praise Ogunleke, has been honoured with the 2024 Diana Award for mentoring young people and addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria.
The Diana Award, instituted in honour of the late Diana, the Princess of Wales, is an honour given to young people across the world for their social action work or humanitarian efforts.
Ogunleke was among the 22 recipients of the award from Nigeria and about 200 from all over the world.
According to the information released by the organisers of the award, the medical student was honoured for his work with The Leverage Project, an initiative he started two years ago to address gaps in employability education, which has supported over 1,270 young people, and the Exemplars Magazine he founded which is read by thousands of people across 15 countries.
Reacting to this award, Ogunleke stated that his social and humanitarian endeavours focus on equipping the youth with resources, community, and support. He added that even though talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not.
He affirmed that by equipping young people, particularly those in underserved communities, they can unleash their deepest potential.
“I believe this recognition and my story could inspire young people, highlighting the importance of youth-led innovation and the power of social impact initiatives,” he said.
CEO of The Diana Award, Dr Tessy Ojo CBE, congratulated the recipients of the award for dedicating their time to making positive change, adding that by receiving the honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities.
Dr Ojo said: “These young people demonstrate that young people have the power to change the world; a belief also held by Diana, the Princess of Wales.”
Congratulating the recipients of the award, the Duke of Wales and son of the late Princess Diana, Prince Harry, in a letter seen by Sunday Tribune, said, “I know my mother, in whose memory you received the Diana Award today, would be immensely proud of you. I hope this award helps you to further champion your cause and support those around you.”
The prince added that though the world can feel like an uncertain and unfamiliar place, “I am so proud of the impact every one of you has had on your communities and beyond. You are driven by kindness and compassion and through this you are all changing the world for the better.”
All Diana Award recipients have dedicated a minimum of 12 months to leading positive social change through a variety of activities from campaigning and educating, to fundraising to delivering services.
This year, the Diana Award received over 1,700 nomination submissions, making this the most competitive year.
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