A SOLIHULL volunteer has won a prestigious King’s Trust Award.
Nabila Zufiqar scooped the national Volunteer of the Year award in association with Good Morning Britain at the King’s Trust and TK Maxx and Homesense Awards National Final.
The award recognises King’s Trust volunteers who are positive role models to young people through a King’s Trust programme.
Nabila also attended a reception at Buckingham Palace to meet The King, the founder of The King’s Trust, as the royal congratulated the award winners on their achievements.
Nabila was honoured at a star-studded awards ceremony, hosted by Ant and Dec, and attended by celebrity supporters and Ambassadors of the youth charity.
She was presented with her award by Kate Garraway, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo, who also joined her at the palace.
The King’s Trust and TK Maxx and Homesense Awards honours and celebrates the successes of those who have been helped by The Trust, and those who support them, in the UK and around the world.
Nabila said: “I dedicate it to all volunteers who support and inspire young people on the King’s Trust Mosaic programme across the UK.”
Nabila, a qualified solicitor, began volunteering as an Education Mentor on The King’s Trust Mosaic programme in 2013 – a free group mentoring course for secondary school pupils in the UK, focuses on building confidence and employability skills on a weekly basis over eight weeks.
She said: “I started volunteering on the Mosaic programme because I wanted to give young people something I never had growing up; a professional mentor that could support me.
“I was brought up in Small Heath, one of the most deprived inner–city areas of Birmingham. There was no professional role model for me, no-one to encourage me in terms of my ambitions and achieving them, apart from my parents who did their best. My mother in particular, understood the power of education as a vehicle to achieve independence and security, especially for women.”
Kate Garraway, broadcaster and presenter at Good Morning Britain, said: “Through The King’s Trust Mosaic programme, Nabila has inspired hundreds of students across Birmingham, to believe in themselves. Her mentees see someone that they can relate to, who is successful, which enables them to believe there are no limits to what they can achieve for themselves too. Nabila has said this is an award for all volunteers – but today we would like to recognise her huge commitment to the trust and young people in Birmingham.”
The King’s Trust gives young people the skills and confidence to get their lives on track. Three in four young people helped by the trust in the past five years have moved into work, training or education.
