Friend-Ship Award Ceremony
Youmanity’s Friend-Ship competition encouraged society to stay connected with family and friends, to make video calls and capture a treasured moment with a screenshot.
Thousands of participants worldwide submitted entries celebrating family and friends, to fight social isolation and help prevent suicide.
On Monday 12th April at 6pm Dr Michael Pritchard - Director for Education and Public Affairs,The Royal Photographic Society - awarded 1st Prize to Nicola Parker for her screenshot entitled ‘A kiss from Across the Miles’.
The winning entry captured three generations: Nicola, her daughter Molly and 80 year-old mother Mary blowing a kiss from a nursing home. You can watch Nicola Parker's speech as she accepts her £500 cash prize.
Special guest speakers marked the event with heartfelt speeches around the importance of human connection:
David Mosse - Professor of Social Anthropology at SOAS, Univeristy of London spoke on the importance of friendship for the prevention of suicide. Prof Mosse chairs the Haringey Suicide Prevention Group.
Motivational speaker Cherie Johnson recited a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah to celebrate the multi-cultural mix present at the Award ceremony.
The Italian Ambassador for Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi connected from Kampala to renew his support of Youmanity for the promotion of social inclusion.
