Joy Phoebe
I have just completed my Gold Award level and I am a volunteer with the Award.
There’s no better way to express how impactful the President’s Award Kenya was to me than by explaining my social and emotional journey. At first, I thought I was joining a regular club at school but looking back now, the President’s Award Kenya was an exceptional movement that helped me make positive changes in my life.
I have a history of childhood abuse and before joining the movement, I had been suffering from severe depression and trauma in general. I was a confined person and interacting with people made me extremely anxious.
Going out for expeditions and doing our community services was tough for me at first but as time went by, I slowly found myself loosening up and interacting with people. Unlike school where I was mostly isolated in the library or my hostel room, mentoring young girls and doing various other activities with new people helped me learn a whole different level of socializing. I also built my team work skills in a unique way.
It's amazing how someone's simple actions can change another person's life from a totally different part of the world. I'm forever thankful to HRH, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, for starting something that impacted my life.
I am proud to say that I now have better social intelligence as well as emotional and mental resilience. The Award has played a major role in my healing process and I now pay it forward by continuing with mentorship community services. For instance, I now have a YouTube channel called Find Me Being Me which I use to help people with their emotional and mental health. I hope that I too, may be able to make a positive impact in someone's life.
There’s no better way to express how impactful the President’s Award Kenya was to me than by explaining my social and emotional journey. At first, I thought I was joining a regular club at school but looking back now, the President’s Award Kenya was an exceptional movement that helped me make positive changes in my life.
I have a history of childhood abuse and before joining the movement, I had been suffering from severe depression and trauma in general. I was a confined person and interacting with people made me extremely anxious.
Going out for expeditions and doing our community services was tough for me at first but as time went by, I slowly found myself loosening up and interacting with people. Unlike school where I was mostly isolated in the library or my hostel room, mentoring young girls and doing various other activities with new people helped me learn a whole different level of socializing. I also built my team work skills in a unique way.
It's amazing how someone's simple actions can change another person's life from a totally different part of the world. I'm forever thankful to HRH, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, for starting something that impacted my life.
I am proud to say that I now have better social intelligence as well as emotional and mental resilience. The Award has played a major role in my healing process and I now pay it forward by continuing with mentorship community services. For instance, I now have a YouTube channel called Find Me Being Me which I use to help people with their emotional and mental health. I hope that I too, may be able to make a positive impact in someone's life.
