Midia was one of three Canadians to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards on December 5.
Founded in 2014, the Queen’s Young Leaders program aims to discover, recognize and support exceptional young leaders across the Commonwealth, who are tackling world’s challenges and inspiring others to do the same.
Over all, the 2018 Queen’s Young Leaders network consists of 60 award winners, representing all 52 Commonwealth countries.
Midia Shikh Hassan was chosen as a Queen’s Young Leader for her contribution to refugees’ educational and healthcare needs as well as her involvement in many projects tackling social issues through engineering and entrepreneurial design.
Midia is involved in the Refugee Outreach program, which aims to facilitate Syrian refugees’ social integration through technology and entrepreneurial training. She is also co-founder of Dextra, an initiative providing affordable 3D printed prosthetics to refugees living with upper-body amputations. As the Difference Makers’ coordinator, a program founded by the University of Ottawa, she helps students make positive changes in their community through social entrepreneurship and by encouraging them to start their own social ventures to address social issues.
As winners of this prestigious award, the Young Leaders will take part in a 10-day residential program, which will enable them to improve their skills, make new contacts, visit organizations and social action groups in order to help develop their plans for social change in their respective field.
“I am honoured to be one of the recipient of the Queen’s Young Leader Award. Being part of the Queen’s Young Leader network will help me further develop my current ventures by providing me with the network, the support and the mentorship from other Queen’s Young Leaders across the Commonwealth countries. It will also open doors for cross collaboration between all award winners and collaboration between different communities. Also as a Queen’s Young Leader winner, I will receive a unique leadership course offered by University of Cambridge that will help me further develop and strength my leadership skills. Developing my leadership skills will empower me to start new venters and to continue building impact locally and globally.”
-Midia Shikh Hassan
