London, United Kingdom—Passion and enthusiasm filled the discussions of the UPF-UK Young Achievers who had been honored at the Houses of Parliament two months earlier.
A dinner meeting for these young people was held on September 9, 2023, at the UPF-UK headquarters.
Houses of Parliament, Westminster, July 11, 2023
Imagine being in a room surrounded by 23 young people, each telling their story of how they have helped others and contributed to society. This was what it was like at the 12th session of the UPF-UK Young Achievers’ Award 2023.
Witnessing the great quality of these Young Achievers gives one hope for our world to have peace and understanding.
The extensive network of UPF Ambassadors for Peace recommended and nominated young people between the ages of 18 and 30. As diverse as the Ambassadors for Peace are, so were the nominees.
Each bio read and talk given was extremely inspiring. There were stories of how pursuing their skills and talents led them to altruistic work within their universities, colleges, local charities, and communities.
The event was graced by members of Parliament from the nominees’ constituencies. Though they were busy voting in Parliament that day, they made an effort to attend.
Our host in Parliament that day was Dean Russell, who was in and out but wanted to respect the Young Achievers. We at UPF are very grateful for his efforts.
UPF-UK offices, London, September 9, 2023
After the awards ceremony in July, the Young Achievers were invited to the UPF-UK headquarters for a follow-up meeting and dinner almost two months later. About 60 percent of the awardees were able to attend.
At the dinner the UPF-UK leaders led the young people in brainstorming about different topics, with the desire to encourage and empower them to move further. The passion and enthusiasm generated were electric.
After these interesting discussions, the young people were asked to write up structured plans for their ideas. We received a number of solid proposals for projects, notably from Maudlyn Awuku, Gianni Austin, Fiza Khan—and, remarkably, a partnership project from Israel Johnson and Dana Alarnab for helping young refugees have access to education at UK universities.
UPF-UK’s Trustees Chair Keith Best, Secretary General Robin Marsh, and Director Margaret Keverian Ali all gave talks to the Young Achievers. They reiterated that UPF is committed to supporting and developing the next generation and imparting the UPF vision.
By Margaret Ali, director, UPF-UK
(Report written with the assistance of Lorna Marah and Ernst Kamga, UPF UK.)
