A Derry teenager who was suspended from school eight times and said he was “going nowhere in life” was honored with a Diana Legacy Award along with 19 other changemakers from around the world.
Aodhán Roberts, 19, received the award for overcoming personal barriers in his life and for his work in the community.
The Legacy Award, which takes place every two years, is one of the most prestigious awards a young person can receive for their social commitment or humanitarian work.
The 20 Legacy Award recipients were selected by an independent jury chaired by Diana’s brother Lord Spencer or 2021.
Aodhán was presented with the award at an awards ceremony at Spencer’s home at Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
As he presented the award, Aodhán said: “I was absolutely grateful to receive the Diana Legacy Award at Althorp House, presented by Lord Spencer. This is an award that means so much to me and that will continue to help me achieve success in my own work and in life. I couldn’t have done it alone.
“When I was growing up, I lived on borderline poverty, didn’t do that well in school, and had a lot of bereavement.
“I was often told that I would not get GCSEs and that I would get nowhere in life – now I get such opportunities, am regularly successful with grant applications and study at the university.
“I would like to use this as an incentive for myself to awaken the creativity and motivation of other young people again and again.”
In addition to receiving the award, Aodhán has access to a unique two-year development program working with a Gilead Sciences mentor who is also the title sponsor of the awards.
The program is designed to give them the opportunity to improve their skills in four key areas – leadership, community development, social entrepreneurship and technology.
After the shooting of the journalist Lyra McKee in Derry in April 2019, Aodhán set up the social media site “Derry Footage” to share stories and encourage other young people to speak out against wrongdoing.
Although he struggled with mainstream school and was eventually withdrawn from mainstream school after 70 referrals and eight bans, Aodhán overcame his problems and still managed to hit nine GCSEs.
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Then, within a few months, Aodhán lost his grandmother, his mother’s partner, and his own mother.
At the age of 17 he was alone, with no legal guardian or financial stability.
But he refused to be crushed by these tragedies. While studying Creative Media in college, he created Derry Footage, which gave him the opportunity to create a sense of community and togetherness in Derry, and to share untold stories that deserved greater attention.
He released the short film ‘Impairment’ to raise awareness of the recurring problem of driving under the influence of alcohol and was shortlisted at several film festivals.
Last year he published “Overcoming Adversity as a Community”, which describes the unique sense of community in Derry and how we can pull together in times of crisis.
His photo series about the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Derry has also been shared by mainstream media such as the BBC.