Paraguayan Maureen Montanía, 26, was recognized with the highest award that a young person can obtain for their social action or humanitarian efforts: the Diana Award.
Created in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the award is given by the charity of the same name and is supported by her two sons, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
Maureen grew up in a socially unequal environment in Paraguay, where gifted and talented students did not have the opportunity to develop their skills. Maureen fights for the rights of invisible children and adolescents with high capacities in Paraguay through the “Aikumby Laboratory” project.
To date, her work has helped more than 20 families, individuals, and institutions by conducting talent development workshops for parents, teens, and adults. She trained a team of professionals in the detection, evaluation and diagnosis of high capacities, an activity that today has been transforming Paraguayan lives for more than a year through family and educational guidance.
“We warmly congratulate our new Diana Award recipients from the UK and around the world, who are change agents for their generation. It is especially poignant when we remember Princess Diana twenty-five years later. We know that receiving this honor will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens,” said Tessy Ojo CBE, Director General of the Diana Award.
The winners have been proposed by adults who know young people professionally and have recognized their efforts as a positive contribution to society. Through a rigorous nomination process, these nominators had to demonstrate the nominee’s impact in five key areas: Vision, Social Impact, Inspiration, Youth Leadership, and Lifetime Achievement.
There are 20 Diana Award jurors representing each region or nation both in the UK and internationally. The panels are made up of three judges who understand the value of youth, including a youth representative. The panels have one important main objective: to determine which nominations from each region or nation will receive a Diana Award.
