Marva Langevine from Guyana, a former Miss World Guyana pageant finalist, has been chosen as one of the finalist to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in recognition of the lead she is taking in her community to change lives, a statement from the Queen’s Young Leaders programme has revealed.
The prestigious Awards programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates exceptional young people aged 18 to 29 from across the Commonwealth and the work they are undertaking to improve lives across a diverse range of issues, from supporting people living with mental health problems, helping children to receive a quality education, to promoting gender equality.
According to the release from the Queen’s Young Leaders programme, Marva will now join the Queen’s Young Leaders network of 240 Award winners, a unique community of influential change-makers, who represent all 52 Commonwealth countries. The winners announced will receive their Award from Her Majesty The Queen at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, UK, next year.
Marva has been chosen in recognition of the work she is doing to transform the lives of bereaved, sick and underprivileged children and families in her community and beyond.
Langevine, aged 24, said “I am truly grateful that I will be receiving a Queen’s Young Leaders Award. I found my purpose and I received the courage to give hope to those who needed it. What started as ice-cream dates and hugs for two toddlers after their mother died, has grown into an organisation dedicated to supporting bereaved children as they cope, grow and succeed. I am eager to learn and be actively involved in everything this prestigious Award and programme entails.”
Dr Astrid Bonfield CBE, Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, said: “In this, the final year of The Queen’s Young Leaders programme, once again we have outstanding Award winners, leading the way in transforming people’s lives for the better in every part of the Commonwealth. We congratulate them all for their remarkable achievements. Over the coming year the programme will nurture and develop their talents, and equip them to go further in making a lasting change in their communities. I hope they find the experience to be truly life-changing and I’m delighted to welcome today’s winners to the now complete network of Queen’s Young Leaders.”
The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.
In providing a breakdown of the different winners for 2018, the Queen’s Young Leaders website said that Langevine “is transforming the lives of bereaved, sick and underprivileged children and families in Guyana. She is the founder of the Guyana Golden Lives Organization, which she has used to open up a national conversation about the loss of a loved one in childhood. The organisation provides financial and psycho-social support services for bereaved children, job opportunities for widows, and food hampers and building materials for low income families.
“In the future, Marva hopes to hold ‘grief in the classroom’ workshops for teachers and community outreach initiatives on bereavement. Marva has also created Camp Golden, a camp for bereaved young people, which provides counselling, food, shelter and educational opportunities. In addition, Marva is a founding member of Den-Amstel Dynamic Network, a youth group focused on restoring the cultural art forms for which her home village of Den-Amstel was once famous.”
The Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners receive bespoke training, mentoring and networking opportunities, and take part in a residential programme in the UK, to help them build on the work they are leading in their communities. They join a now complete network of Award winners and, in tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s lifetime of Service, will continue to connect and collaborate and change lives for years to come.
