Her Majesty The Queen presented awards to the 2016 Queen’s Young Leaders from Pakistan, Zainab Bibi and Muhammad Usman Khan, in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 23 June 2016. His Royal Highness Prince Harry attended the event in support of The Queen, which recognized exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth who are making lasting change in their communities.
Former Prime Minister and Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Sir John Major, David Beckham and Sir Lenny Henry were also in attendance. H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK attended the ceremony at the Buckingham Palace. He met with the Pakistani Award winners and commended their efforts for the prestigious Award. The High Commissioner termed them role models for the Pakistani youth. He also had an audience with the distinguished guests in attendance.
Zainab Bibi is a keen environmentalist, with a strong interest in renewable
energy. In 2013, she established the Pakistan Society for Green Energy to increase awareness of green energy solutions. She then successfully managed to develop a bioethanol (a bio-fuel) from waste tissue paper, which could help provide cleaner energy. Zainab also introduced into Pakistan, from the US, a plant species that produces bioethanol (biodiesel). ‘Camelina sativa’ has a short growth cycle and a greater resistance to drought, which means that it can be grown in desert areas in Pakistan.
Muhammad Usman Khan is dedicated to helping all children to receive an education. After attending the British Council’s Active Citizens Programme, he designed an educational programme called Back to Life Edutainment for street children. He promoted the programme using social media and managed to encourage more than 500 young people to voluntarily implement the project in four cities. Muhammad also founded the BEYLI Organization, which aims to educate and support underprivileged young people. He then returned to his home village and set up the Rethinking Education community school and created a programme called Edupowerment, which teaches students computer skills, English language skills
and peace education.
In the year of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday, The Queen’s Young Leaders, including Pakistan winners have all been taking part in a series of high-level engagements across London and in Cambridge over the course of the past week. This has included participating in a challenge set by global social networking company Twitter, meeting Senior Executives at BBC World News and visiting 10 Downing Street. As part of the programme they also received leadership training at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, met UK business leaders from Standard Chartered, AMV BBDO and PWC and heard from leaders from UK charities working to deliver life-changing projects. The search for the 2017 Queen’s Young Leaders Award Winners opens on Friday 24 June 2016. If you or someone you know is doing exceptional work in their community apply or nominate them at www.queensyoungleaders.com.
