Local girl to highlight campaign for Diana memorial award.
Maya Ghazal, aged 19, from Birmingham has been chosen as one of twelve outstanding young people from across the world to take centre stage for The Diana Award’s Change_Makers campaign. The campaign kicks-off their 20th anniversary year to drive a new wave of nominations from across the world for an award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Diana Award is the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. The youth charity benefits from the support of Diana, Princess of Wales’ sons, The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex.
All the young people leading the campaign alongside Maya – who come from the UK, USA, Canada, India and UAE – challenge negative stereotypes young people are often labelled with. You can see the Change_Makers here
Maya Ghazal’s life changed in 2015 when she left Syria to begin a new life in the UK. After overcoming obstacles including not being able to speak English, has thrived in her studies and personal life; she now studies Aviation Engineering at Brunel University and uses her experience to speak out passionately for the many refugees who do not have one, advocating for the challenges young migrants and refugees face. For this work, Maya received a Diana Award in 2016.
Maya says: “I hope I can inspire others to stand up for themselves and follow their passions, just as I have!”
Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award, adds: “The stories of the twelve young people, taking part in this campaign to mark our 20th anniversary will drive a new wave of nominations and inspire others to make positive change. Our research reveals that the vast majority of young people want to make a positive impact on society. We urge communities from across the UK to visit our website and tell us about more young people like Maya who deserve to be recognised with The Diana Award.”
The Change_Maker campaign has been generously supported by British Airways as part of their commitment to have a positive impact in local communities, in particular through supporting children and young people living challenging lives in the UK and overseas
Holly Gray, British Airways’ Community Investment Manager, says: “We are delighted to partner with the Diana Award as they kick off their 20th anniversary year and continue their work in recognising and inspiring the next generation of young leaders. We are proud to support projects and individuals who make a positive, lasting impact in their communities and are very much looking forward to welcoming the deserving winners on board as they travel to London for the awards ceremony.”
Nominations are now open for young people aged 9-25. The deadline is 29 March 2019. Visit diana-award today and nominate about the young person you’d like to put forward.
