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The Award Ceremony for Be the Change: Creating a Kinder World was a blast! Teens from over 25 countries came together on Sunday to celebrate the opportunity to work across borders and to recognize those who stood out the most over the past five weeks in the forum competition.
Those who demonstrated the best leadership and communication skills are invited to take the experience back to their schools. They will be tasked to find out what is needed in their community, work with their peers and gain support from their teachers to take action and implement changes. The Pioneers were nominated by our team coaches Calla O'Neil (Georgetown University), Miyu Sakurai (NYU) and Gabriella Ruggero (University of Ottawa).
The following winners will receive scholarships to launch their BWB Clubs in the following schools:
Nour Hatimi - George Washington Academy - Morocco
Youssef Elsayed Elkeblawy and Lina Mohareb - Future American School - Egypt
Lucille Wong Ryniejski - Redwood High School - USA
Lila Little and Lilly Melville - Green Bay High School - New Zealand
Le Thu Ngan - Hanoi Academy - Vietnam
Ayşe Nisa Palabıyıklı and Ayşe Betül Argın - Vali Muammer Güler Sosyal Bilimler Lisesi - Turkey
Among all the smart and talented participants, five students received the highest scores through their reflections, research, and essays. Our scorer, Kasia Buszka (Forward College) helped us identify the following Top Five Action Award Winners. They will join the previous Forum winners to embark on a year-long online internship managed by Leadership Initiatives and sponsored by Microsoft and Starbucks:
Madeleine Freeland - Lycée Français de San Francisco - USA
Nguyen Thuc Anh - Vinh Phu High School for the Gifted - Vietnam
Nour Hatimi - George Washington Academy - Morocco
Megumi Nakamura - Shonan Shirayuri Gakuen High School - Japan
Anisa Shaban Pisheh - Homeschooled - UAE
Finally, Chiedza-Matipa Banga from Branksome Hall (South Korea), Aahna Bahl from Genesis Global School (India) and Le Thu Ngan from Hanoi Academy (Vietnam) will collect and synthesize all the research and reflections by the Forum participants, and produce a book on Kindness for Teens by Teens. Stay tuned!
