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Bhubaneswar, June 29: Neha Swain, a native of Orissa, has won the Queen’s Young Leaders’ award for 2016. She received the award from the Queen of England at the Buckingham Palace. Neha was selected for the honour in consideration of her exceptional work in transforming the lives of people and having a lasting impact on communities.
The official website of Queen’s Young Leaders states that Neha was among the 60 awardees chosen from around the world.
The award recognises and celebrates exceptional people between the ages of 18 and 29 from across the Commonwealth and is given to youths who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
The winners are offered a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK.
Neha, who is 28, works as a facilitator at the NGO Rubaroo, which she has co-founded. Rubaroo provides an inclusive space for young people, irrespective of their socio-economic background. It helps them develop leadership skills through interactive workshops.
Her team holds workshops at schools free of charge and has so far worked with nearly 2,000 youngsters in Hyderabad.
Her organisation works with youngsters in and around Hyderabad and facilitates conversations and experiential-learning processes through workshops, volunteering opportunities, exposure, camps, film-screenings, and such activities.
This apart, the NGO also claims to be aiming at creating a community by building capacities of teachers, educators, parents, facilitators and care givers of young people to enable them to support leadership abilities of youngsters in creating and sustaining an inclusive and equitable society.
Born and brought up in Orissa, Neha completed her studies in Bangalore and Delhi. She is an MA in Social Work from Delhi School of Social Work.