News
Outstanding Young Hero from Wychwood receives Award in memory of Princess Diana
Posted: 1st July 2020
We are absolutely delighted to announce that Anaïs Arroyo, in Study II, has been honoured with The Diana Award for going above and beyond in her daily life to create and sustain positive change.
Anaïs 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.
After becoming aware of the inequality which women and girls face around the world, Anaïs decided to use her voice to amplify others. Since working at ‘Sisters for Change’ in 2017, an NGO which offers girls and women access to equal education and justice, Anaïs has campaigned tirelessly for equal rights. Her work has led to changing attitudes within her school and wider community, including towards the homeless and those with severe learning disabilities. Anaïs continues to inspire other young women through her ‘Girl Up’ club at Wychwood which empowers and equips younger students to take action in the campaign for equal rights.
Upon receipt of the award Anaïs said: ‘I am genuinely surprised, and I feel very honoured to have been recognised in such a way. Thank you to all those who wholeheartedly embraced my initiatives – it is as much a recognition of your efforts as it is mine.’
Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award, says: “We congratulate Anaïs and all our new Diana Award recipients 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.”
Bridget Sherlock, Deputy Head Pastoral at Wychwood said: “We are thrilled Anais has been successful. Her vision has always been to ‘be the change you want to see in this world’ and she inspires that change in those around her with her passion as well as her humility. There is action in her stillness, strength in her gentleness and determination in her kindness. It is a wonderful end to a most unusual term and a very well-deserved award for a most extraordinary young woman who will, undoubtedly, change the lives of those she encounters in the future for the better.”
WHAT IS THE AWARDS PROCESS?
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 13 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 quality of youth social action.
Watch the live event on www.youtube.com/dianaaward at 3.00pm on Wednesday 1 July 2020.