‘Aiona Prescott (20) will receive a prestigious Queen's Young Leaders Award from HM Queen Elizabeth next year in London, one of 60 from across the Commonwealth recognized as exceptional leaders in their communities.

She is a volunteer with ICON Creative Tonga, a youth organization with a vision for redemption and restoration of youths by using creative art as a means to express themselves.

From Sopu in Tongatapu, 'Aiona said today the award has taken her by surprise.

“It’s amazing to be recognized among so many other brilliant young people who are making a difference."

She said as a volunteer one does not expect anything in return from doing the work, but hard work really does pay off. When you do things without expecting anything in return you can expect good results will come out of it, she said.

‘AIona was selected for the award due to her work to help young people build their confidence and learn new skills through creative arts.

She has been helping to run the group’s mentoring workshops in villages where young people learn the importance of teamwork and leadership values during sessions.

“By talking to participants, the team aims to tackle issues such as teenage pregnancy, school drop-outs and gender based violence. After our mentoring workshops, the young people put on a performance for their community to share what they have learnt.”

The Queen's Young Leaders Award will be presented as part of the Queen’s Young Leaders Program to celebrate the achievements of young people who are taking part to transform the lives of others and make a difference in their communities.

This year’s winners aged between 18-29 are working to support others by raising awareness and inspiring change on various issues from education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality.