Ronelle King’s work to help end violence against women in the Caribbean has earned her a Queen’s Young Leaders Award.
The Queen will present the Barbadian with the award on June 26 during a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London.
The awards recognise the work young people from across the Commonwealth are doing to transform lives in their community and beyond.
The 25-year-old was selected following a competitive process involving thousands of applicants across the Commonwealth. They will join a network of 240 powerful young leaders from 53 Commonwealth countries who are driving change to make the world a better place.
She joins Barbadians Jamilla Sealy, Donnya Piggott and Firhanna Bulbulia as recipients of the award. King started the Life in Leggings movement.
“I am excited to embark on my journey to London for the Queen’s Young Leaders Residential Programme this weekend,” she said.
“I’d like to thank the organising team for the support they provided me with through the Leading Change programme, and to Her Majesty The Queen for the opportunity to represent my country on this platform. My experience thus far has been phenomenal and I look forward for the invaluable knowledge I will gain through this residency and networking with my colleagues.”
Later this month, King will visit 10 Downing Street to take part in master classes at the BBC World Service and the UK headquarters of Facebook. Award winners will then meet with the Commonwealth secretary-general and high commissioners from across the Commonwealth, before receiving their Award from Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace. They will also attend workshops at the University of Cambridge and visit projects that are changing the lives of vulnerable people in the UK.
The 2018 Queen’s Young Leaders are finding solutions to global issues such as climate change, food scarcity, gender-based violence, mental health and access to education.
The 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. (PR/SAT)
