A New Zealand LGBTI young leader will be recognised by the Queen at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Valentino Wichman will be presented with a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and recognised by the Queen for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in her community. As a Queen’s Young Leader, Wichman will be representing New Zealand as she joins winners from 45 different Commonwealth countries in London for five days of high-level engagements, all designed to help them further their life-changing work. Wichman supports LGBTI+ rights in the Cook Islands and is Secretary of the Te Tiara Association; the Cook Islands’ only LGBTI+ association. After helping to draft the Cook Islands Youth Policy, she wants to spend the year as a Queen’s Young Leader working with policy makers to bring LGBTI+ legislation into line with that of New Zealand and to develop support services for the LGBTI+ community in the Cook Islands. In addition Wichman plays a key role in other community groups, including The Cook Islands Prostate Foundation and the Rotaract club of Rarotonga, which offers young people aged 18 to 30 the chance to make a difference in their neighbourhood. “I am really looking forward to the opportunity of learning and networking so that I can progress my project,” says Wichman. “It is going to be awesome meeting like-minded individuals who are trying to make this world a better place for all. This award is already starting to change peoples’ mind sets in the Cook Islands.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 21st June 2016 - 10:22am