A younger Cypriot, Maria Kramvi, finishing up a scheme fostering peace and connection between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youngsters is among the many finalists for this 12 months`s Commonwealth Youth Awards.
Because the co-founder of ‘Rhythm of Cyprus’, Maria runs an schooling programme which makes use of music as a peacebuilding software to attach Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youngsters, and construct sustainable communities primarily based on inclusion and understanding. Because the group lead of ‘Sistema Cyprus’, Maria additionally gives free music schooling to migrants, refugees and underprivileged youngsters. Over 2000 youngsters have benefited from the initiative, supporting social sustainability and peacebuilding within the area.
In keeping with a Commonwealth press launch, twenty extraordinary younger individuals, together with inventors, activists and entrepreneurs, from 17 international locations have been introduced as finalists for this 12 months’s Commonwealth Youth Awards.
4 youths from Europe and Canada have been shortlisted for initiatives selling peace, gender equality and motion on local weather.
These embrace:
Canada: A well being toolkit for educating college students on the dangers of vaping.
Cyprus: A scheme fostering peace and connection between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youngsters.
United Kingdom: An initiative that encourages colleges to vary the way in which they understand autistic college students.
Canada: A youth-led social enterprise which creates positive-impact media content material and hosts workshops.
In keeping with the press launch, organised by the Commonwealth Youth Programme, the Commonwealth Youth Awards recognise excellent Commonwealth younger individuals (aged 15-29), whose initiatives are remodeling lives of their communities; offering sensible options to complicated issues and serving to to attain the UN Sustainable Growth Objectives and 2030 Agenda.
Greater than 1000 entries had been acquired this 12 months – the very best ever recorded. The finalists had been chosen throughout every of the award’s regional classes (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe & Canada, and the Pacific) following a rigorous judging course of.
The highest finalist from every area can be introduced because the regional winner on the official awards ceremony on 16 March. The ceremony can be held nearly for the second time as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and can be livestreamed on the Commonwealth’s social platforms.
Of those 5 regional winners, one excellent younger particular person will develop into the Commonwealth Younger Individual of the Yr 2022.
All 20 finalists will every obtain a trophy, certificates and £1,000 to increase the impression of their initiatives. Every regional winner will obtain £3,000 and the general pan-Commonwealth winner will take house a complete of £5,000.
Talking forward of the announcement, the Commonwealth Secretary-Common Patricia Scotland stated: “Yearly I’m blown away by our youth award winners` expertise, resilience, dedication, and tenacity. This 12 months, we recognise the talent, creativeness and dedication of younger individuals within the face of the immense challenges created in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.”