Nursing student Ashleigh Smith, from Naseby, met the Queen yesterday. Photo/File
Nursing student Ashleigh Smith, from Naseby, met the Queen yesterday. Photo/File
Kiwi anti-bullying campaigner Ashleigh Smith has been presented a young leaders award by the Queen.
Smith, 19, was among 60 people awarded the Queen's Young Leaders Award at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday morning.
The award recognised her effort leading the New Zealand initiative "Sticks 'n Stones" to reduceonline bullying within schools.
Smith spent the past fortnight in the United Kingdom attending the Queen's Young Leader Award residential programme, which included a suite of workshops designed to enhance recipients' work areas and projects in their home countries. The group called on such organisations as Redthread, the BBC, AMV BBDO, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Facebook and Google, among others.
The programme also included meeting with senior government officials at 10 Downing St and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
"Ashleigh's work in New Zealand with Sticks 'n Stones to reduce online bullying in New Zealand schools is inspirational, and perfectly reflects her compassion and drive to make New Zealand and the world a better place to live in," said Brad Olsen, executive director of Commonwealth Youth New Zealand and New Zealand's Queen's Young Leader for 2016.
"Her work stands out for its ability to directly change young New Zealanders' lives through addressing a major issue facing everyday Kiwis. Her dedication to working with others makes Ashleigh a role model for others throughout the Commonwealth to engage with their communities and work towards shared solutions."
Sticks 'n Stones is an organisation that focuses on positive action to avert the risk of cyber-bullying and aggressive online behaviour.
