Demien Mougal wins Queen Elizabeth award |09 December 2016

Young Seychellois Demien Mougal has been recognised for his commitment to educating young people about sexual and reproductive health after being selected as one of the latest recipients of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.

Mougal, 18, is one the 60 youths from across the Commonwealth selected for the award, which was first launched in 2014.

Speaking to the Seychelles News Agency (SNA), Mougal said he “feels proud”, adding that it feels good to be recognised for his efforts.

He will be among the third cohort of youths who will travel to London next year to be presented with their medal by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

The award also involves training and mentoring aspects, from which Mougal is hoping to derive the maximum benefits.

“After receiving the mentorship I plan to host more events to try to inspire other youths to take leadership roles in the society,” said Mougal who works as on office junior at Liberty Insurance.

“My advice to other youths is that no matter how young or how small you may think you are you can make a huge difference in the world just by trying.”

He is the second Seychellois youth after Angelique Pouponneau to win the Queen’s Young Leaders Award.

Pouponneau was presented with her medal by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in June this year.

In fact, Mougal was referred to the award by Ms Pouponneau.

Mougal’s involvement with sexual education and youth reproductive health derives from his membership to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) – Youth Action Movement – which is involved in addressing these issues.

“It’s the first NGO I joined and after a few years I decided to run for chairmanship and helped to organise some events and this has helped me to win the Queen’s Young Leaders Award,” he added.

Mougal is also involved with the SIDS Youth AIMS Hub-Seychelles – an association of young people promoting sustainable development. He is also the vice-chairperson of the Association for Rights, Information and Democracy (Arid), a local election observer mission through which he had the opportunity to observe recent presidential and parliamentary elections in Seychelles.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Award, which targets individuals aged 18 to 29, was launched in 2014 in recognition of the Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

The award aims to recognise young people from Commonwealth countries who are using their leadership qualities to make a difference in the lives of others.