• Home
• /
• World
• /
• Europe

Indian-origin youth mentor Trevor Gomes wins UK PM's award

London - The 24-year-old is the founder of Elevate, a programme that empowers youngsters from underprivileged backgrounds.

---

---

Trevor Gomes, the Indian-origin founder and director of youth mentoring programme Elevate, has been honoured by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the Point of Light award, which is given to outstanding individual volunteers — people who make a change in their communities.

London-based Gomes, 24, had founded Elevate in 2019 to equip young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the skills and knowledge needed for the world of work and higher education.

Originally launched to support 15 students at his Sixth Form College, Gomes rapidly expanded the programme during lockdown, which now caters to over 10,000 students. It runs a series of schemes, combining workshops with one-on-one mentoring.

The programme also includes a breakfast club offering weekly group mentoring and covers a range of topics to help young people improve skills for presentations, interviews and networking. It also provides guidance on careers and resumes, building an online presence and personal branding, and boosting wellbeing and resilience.

Gomes — who originally hails from Goa — said, “It’s a real honour to be recognised by the Prime Minister. I’ve put a lot of energy and commitment into supporting the lives of young people because it's something I'm really passionate about and enjoy doing.”

He added, “Now more than ever, young people need good role models and support getting into the world of work. I’m delighted the Elevate programme has been able to do this and contribute to changing the lives of so many young people for the better. We truly rise by lifting others, so it's amazing to receive this award.”

ALSO READ:

>> India: 15-year-old boy from Delhi receives Diana Award

Gomes is among several individuals with roots in the Indian sub-continent to be recognised with the award.

Recent awardees included 11-year-old Ishwar Sharma, a yoga champion with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who has led daily yoga classes for 40 children across 14 countries during Covid-19-induced lockdowns.

• UK