21st Century Leaders Awards
Encyclopedia
The 21st Century Leaders was founded in 2003, by Charlotte di Vita MBE, a Goodwill Ambassador to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
. The 21st Century Leaders programme was launched by Trade plus Aid, British Charity Registration 1061376. Trade plus Aid is an ethical trading organisation established in order to create environmentally sound and economically viable means to alleviate poverty in impoverished communities, initially in Africa.
The organization now runs an international campaign entitled Whatever It Takes
that through the sale of ethically traded goods featuring the original art work of celebrities seeks to raise money and awareness for organizations working in education, climate change, poverty reduction and health primarily in Africa. In South Africa the organization works on a biogas digester program to promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles in rural areas.
The organization founded the 21st Century Leaders Awards, an award designed to highlight the work of leaders of popular culture who have sought to use their celebrity to encourage social change.
laureates, and celebrities from the fields of film, music, fashion, art, sport and literature etc. - to raise awareness and funds for environmental and sustainable human development solutions.
The biogas digester program is an effort to motivate an introduction of appropriate and sustainable energy generation for the agricultural sector as well as promoting a holistic approach to nutrient balancing and soil management. The organization reinvests funds from the commercial biogas digester program into the installation of family size rural household digesters to replace the need for the gathering of wood fuel for meal preparation and heating.
, American actor Josh Hartnett
, director and producer Danny Boyle
& Christian Colson
, tennis champions Serena
& Venus Williams
, and opera singer Monica Yunus
.
, Itzhak Stern
and Gandhi.
Danny Boyle
& Christian Colson
, director & producer of the film Slumdog Millionaire
, were awarded for their creation of an international children’s development organization focused on education and sanitation, and designed to improve the lives of children in Mumbai
’s slum communities and for the Jai Ho Trust , an independent trust which aims to ensure that Rubina Ali
(who played the youngest latika in the film) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail
(youngest Salim) receive an education, housing and social support. The trust will also hold a sum of money for the two children until they reach adulthood.
Monica Yunus was awarded because the organization she founded, Sing For Hope
, mobilizes more than 600 professional artists - from classical musicians to photographers to Broadway
performers- in volunteer service programs that benefit communities in need. Considered an artists’ peace corps
, the organization’s three core programs are performance arts-educational outreach for underserved children, healing arts- in-hospital performances and workshops that complement the healing process, Gala arts - Benefit concerts that raise awareness and funds for humanitarian causes
and Venus Williams
were awarded for their “Williams Sisters Tour” which raises money for the Ronald McDonald House and for Hurricane Katrina
victims and The Serena Williams Foundation which focuses on education, and helping underprivileged children in Africa who cannot afford to go to school or college to do so.
was awarded for his work with Global Cool
, a charity focused on climate change on whose behalf Hartnett met with former Prime Minister
Tony Blair
and has since taken the message of greenhouse gas reduction to a wider audience.
of Qatar
presented three outstanding women and Unsung Hero Award.
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is a charitable organization founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS crisis.-History:...
. The 21st Century Leaders programme was launched by Trade plus Aid, British Charity Registration 1061376. Trade plus Aid is an ethical trading organisation established in order to create environmentally sound and economically viable means to alleviate poverty in impoverished communities, initially in Africa.
The organization now runs an international campaign entitled Whatever It Takes
Whatever It Takes (organization)
Whatever It Takes is an artwork campaign founded by the non-profit organization, 21st Century Leaders, in December 2002. The campaign is largely based on celebrity artwork raising awareness on global issues...
that through the sale of ethically traded goods featuring the original art work of celebrities seeks to raise money and awareness for organizations working in education, climate change, poverty reduction and health primarily in Africa. In South Africa the organization works on a biogas digester program to promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles in rural areas.
The organization founded the 21st Century Leaders Awards, an award designed to highlight the work of leaders of popular culture who have sought to use their celebrity to encourage social change.
Mission
21st Century Leaders Foundation’s mission is to assist and encourage royalty, Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
laureates, and celebrities from the fields of film, music, fashion, art, sport and literature etc. - to raise awareness and funds for environmental and sustainable human development solutions.
Whatever It Takes to Make a Difference Campaign
The campaign started in December 2002 and requests that celebrity leaders design and donate a symbol of hope for the 21st century, as well as a stick figure self-portrait and a message of hope. The 600 celebrities' artworks are reproduced on socially and environmentally responsible products sold internationally to support alleviation of poverty, environmental conservation, and the protection of children.Trade plus Aid South Africa
Trade plus Aid has been working in South Africa for over 12 years, administering various community development, and social outreach programs. The projects are focused on social and economic upliftment and infrastructure development of impoverished rural communities especially those surrounding the damaging long-term consequences of climate change.The biogas digester program is an effort to motivate an introduction of appropriate and sustainable energy generation for the agricultural sector as well as promoting a holistic approach to nutrient balancing and soil management. The organization reinvests funds from the commercial biogas digester program into the installation of family size rural household digesters to replace the need for the gathering of wood fuel for meal preparation and heating.
21st Century Leaders Awards
The first award ceremony was held on October 30, 2009 in Doha, Qatar and awarded British actor Sir Ben Kingsley CBEBen Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, American actor Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, director and producer Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
& Christian Colson
Christian Colson
Christian Colson , is a British film producer. He is best known as the producer of the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he received numerous awards including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for best picture.-Producer:*The Descent *Separate Lives *Eden Lake *Slumdog...
, tennis champions Serena
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
& Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, and opera singer Monica Yunus
Monica Yunus
Monica Yunus is a Bangladeshi-Russian-American operatic soprano who has performed with many of the world's finest opera companies and music ensembles...
.
2009 Outstanding Humanitarians Awardees
Sir Ben Kingsley CBE was awarded for his continued aid of disadvantaged young people and children and for his portrayal of the humanitarian role-models Simon WiesenthalSimon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
, Itzhak Stern
Itzhak Stern
Itzhak Stern was a Jewish accountant to German industrialist Oskar Schindler. He worked alongside Schindler as the accountant for his enamelware company in Kraków and greatly helped in running the company...
and Gandhi.
Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
& Christian Colson
Christian Colson
Christian Colson , is a British film producer. He is best known as the producer of the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he received numerous awards including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for best picture.-Producer:*The Descent *Separate Lives *Eden Lake *Slumdog...
, director & producer of the film Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
, were awarded for their creation of an international children’s development organization focused on education and sanitation, and designed to improve the lives of children in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
’s slum communities and for the Jai Ho Trust , an independent trust which aims to ensure that Rubina Ali
Rubina Ali
Rubina Ali , also known as Rubina Qureshi, is an Indian child actress who played the child version of Latika in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire , for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award...
(who played the youngest latika in the film) and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail is an Indian child actor, who played the youngest version of Salim Malik in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire , for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award...
(youngest Salim) receive an education, housing and social support. The trust will also hold a sum of money for the two children until they reach adulthood.
Monica Yunus was awarded because the organization she founded, Sing For Hope
Sing For Hope
Sing for Hope is a charitable organization founded by opera singers Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora. The two New York City based vocalists and alumnae of the Juilliard School established Sing for Hope as a resource for New York artists who want to use their art to benefit the community through...
, mobilizes more than 600 professional artists - from classical musicians to photographers to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
performers- in volunteer service programs that benefit communities in need. Considered an artists’ peace corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, the organization’s three core programs are performance arts-educational outreach for underserved children, healing arts- in-hospital performances and workshops that complement the healing process, Gala arts - Benefit concerts that raise awareness and funds for humanitarian causes
2009 Outstanding Leadership Awardees
Serena WilliamsSerena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
were awarded for their “Williams Sisters Tour” which raises money for the Ronald McDonald House and for Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
victims and The Serena Williams Foundation which focuses on education, and helping underprivileged children in Africa who cannot afford to go to school or college to do so.
2009 Outstanding Environmentalist Awardee
Josh HartnettJosh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
was awarded for his work with Global Cool
Global Cool
Global Cool is a green lifestyle campaign run by the Global Cool Foundation, a registered climate change charity in the United Kingdom. Global Cool works with celebrities and the media and entertainment industries to promote green behaviours such as using public transport and taking flight-free...
, a charity focused on climate change on whose behalf Hartnett met with former Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and has since taken the message of greenhouse gas reduction to a wider audience.
Regional Unsung Heroes
HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al ThaniAbdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani
Brigadier Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani is a Qatari politician. A member of the ruling family, he is the current Minister of State for Internal Affairs of Qatar....
of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
presented three outstanding women and Unsung Hero Award.
- Helena Shehadh - founder of school for blind and visually impaired children in PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. - Eman Obaudly & Son Ghanem - a Qatari mother proudly raising her son Ghanem who has caudal regression syndromeCaudal regression syndromeCaudal regression syndrome or sacral agenesis is a little-known and rare congenital disorder in which there is abnormal fetal development of the lower spine—the caudal partition of the spine....
in the public eye, who lobbies on behalf of handicap-able children like her son. - Sara Mohamed Al Shamlan - a student at Qatar AcademyQatar AcademyQatar Academy is a private, co-educational school in Doha, Qatar. It is an international school located in Qatar Foundation's Education City. It was founded in 1996 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. The school offers the International Baccalaureate...
who used her talent as a photographer to change the lives of impoverished children in Abu Hamour, DohaM.E.S Indian schoolM.E.S Indian school or Middle-East Education Society, or formerly Muslim Education Society commonly known as MES, is a private school for boys and girls, founded in 1974. It is the first private expatriate school in Qatar, and the largest, primarily catering to the large Indian expatriate...
.