Safa Ahmed, Khaleel Rahman, Simran Kaur, Michaela Graham, Matteo Taffurelli and Dilaksha Sathyendra Kumar

Palm House Youth Explainers  

Most Improved: Safa Ahmed 

Safa began the programme feeling hesitant to interact with the public but overtime she became one of Kew’s most approachable and engaging Youth Explainers. Safa has shown commitment to enriching the public’s experience and is always kind, friendly and personable in her interactions with visitors, no matter their age.  

Kew Ambassador: Khaleel Rahman  

Khaleel approached every stage of the programme with curiosity, enthusiasm and dedication. While volunteering, Khaleel showed commitment to engaging as many people as possible with his game, not letting rejection phase him in the slightest. Khaleel consistently connected with members of the public in a professional and inclusive way.   

Best Team Player: Simran Kaur 

Simran was always quick to lend an encouraging word to her team during difficult times and was committed to taking everyone’s ideas on board during the game design process. While volunteering, Simran used her good humour, adaptability and resilience to lift her team by championing their strengths and encouraging them to adapt when faced with obstacles. 

Temperate House Youth Explainers 

Most Improved: Michaela Graham  

Kayla was inclined to let others take the lead when she first started volunteering. She eventually became a leader in her own right, demonstrating an ability to make both adults and children light up with each interaction.  

Kew Ambassador: Matteo Taffurelli 

Matteo’s enthusiasm, gift for making others feel welcome and skill to make even the busiest visitor stop and play his game, more than prove that he was a Kew Ambassador. Matteo also showed great commitment by attending more Kew sessions and events than any other Youth Explainer on the programme.   

Best Team Player: Dilaksha Sathyendra Kumar  

Dila consistently demonstrated the ability to collaborate effectively within a team, while also demonstrating leadership when necessary. Her approachable, compassionate demeanour and enthusiasm applied to each task made her an invaluable team player. 

Manvir Palra, Vhaishali Kajendran, Max Webb, Leen Haidir, Kameron Harman-Charles, and Seren Ashe

Princess of Wales Conservatory Youth Explainers

Most Committed: Manvir Palra – Manvir approached every stage of the programme with excitement, energy, and positivity and uplifted her team through challenging moments. During her time volunteering, Manvir was committed to engaging as many people as possible, not letting rejection phase her in the slightest.

Best Team Player: Vhaishali Kajendran – Vhaishali was quick to lend an encouraging word to her team during difficult times and was committed to taking everyone’s ideas on board during group discussions. During her time volunteering, Vhaishali used her good humour to ensure that everyone in her team was feeling positive and motivated when things weren’t going to plan.

Most Improved: Max Webb – Max began the programme feeling hesitant to interact with the public but, overtime, he became one of the most confident volunteers. Max was always on hand with an array of extra knowledge that he could use to enrich the public’s experience and was always kind, friendly and personable in all of his interactions, with visitors of all ages.

Temperate House Youth Explainers

Most Committed: Leen Haidir – Leen consistently dedicated herself to her volunteering, always honouring the commitments she made. She always threw herself into tasks, no matter how new or daunting they appeared, and applied a thoughtfulness to everything she does.

Best Team Player: Kameron Harman-Charles – Kameron’s witty and charismatic personality always created a fun and joyful atmosphere within any group he was a part of. He used these characteristics to motivate others and to make everyone feel included.

Most Improved: Seren Ashe  – Seren grew immensely in their confidence and communication skills throughout their time as a volunteer, even discovering a particular talent for leading games and activities with children.

Ayelet Nachmany, Titas Staisiunas, Julia Kawecka, Hebah Salam, Kyran Bowen- Maher and Mayur Prajapati

Ayelet Nachmany – Kew Ambassador – Ayelet showed enthusiasm to continue the programme and is passionate about Kew’s important work and the natural world. 

Titas Staisiunas – Science Communicator – Titas has been diligent in his research about the plants in the game that he designed and ensured that his research was included when testing his game with visitors. 

Julia Kawecka – Visitor Engagement – Julia has a warm persona, is consistent in engagements and is supportive of the wider Youth Volunteer group when interacting with the public. 

Hebah Salam – Most Improved – Hebah arrived to the programme very shy, but over the process of the volunteering period, she made a host of new friends and now engages with the public in a confident and successful way. 

Kyran Bowen- Maher – Best Team Player – Kyran worked well with everyone, he was constantly supportive and motivating to everyone around him and just a lovely individual to have on the team. 

Mayur Prajapati – Most Committed – Mayur never missed a session and has continued to volunteer since he graduated from the programme in October 2022. He has now become a mentor to the new intake of Youth Explainers A

Adam Ismail, Isabel Maya Alexander and Kishanth Punithakumar

Ayelet Nachmany – Kew Ambassador – Ayelet showed enthusiasm to continue the programme and is passionate about Kew’s important work and the natural world. 

Titas Staisiunas – Science Communicator – Titas has been diligent in his research about the plants in the game that he designed and ensured that his research was included when testing his game with visitors. 

Julia Kawecka – Visitor Engagement – Julia has a warm persona, is consistent in engagements and is supportive of the wider Youth Volunteer group when interacting with the public. 

Hebah Salam – Most Improved – Hebah arrived to the programme very shy, but over the process of the volunteering period, she made a host of new friends and now engages with the public in a confident and successful way. 

Kyran Bowen- Maher – Best Team Player – Kyran worked well with everyone, he was constantly supportive and motivating to everyone around him and just a lovely individual to have on the team. 

Mayur Prajapati – Most Committed – Mayur never missed a session and has continued to volunteer since he graduated from the programme in October 2022. He has now become a mentor to the new intake of Youth Explainers 

Most Committed – Adam Ismail

Adam exhibits excellent attendance and punctuality, and for goes above and beyond to speak to every visitor that walks by while he is volunteering. He is committed to both reaching a large audience whilst still engaging with visitors in a meaningful way. Adam adapts his approaches to ensure continual improvements and has shown an all- round enthusiasm for his role and the programme.

Best Team Player  – Isabel Maya Alexander 

Isabel always contributes to discussion, and she is a consistently vocal participant during online sessions. She makes great group contributions, shows leadership skills and supports other participants to find confidence when interacting with members of the public.  Isabel brings her personality to every session and ensures no member of the team ever feels left out. She gives and receives feedback with equal poise.

Most Improved – Kishanth Punithakumar

Kishanth’s confidence has grown exponentially over the course of the programme, from an initial hesitancy to interact with the public to quickly becoming one of the more confident Youth Explainers. His knowledge of Kew has also grown over time, making it a point of pride for him to understand Kew’s mission and purpose and to be able to communicate that to the public. His approach to the designs of games for the public to use on their visits developed over time to ensure that they were targeted and designed with his audience in mind.

Art Hoti, Anastasia Mackenzie and Ihor Riznichuk

Art Hoti – Most Committed

Art has a record 100% attendance for their time on the programme. Art always arrives to their volunteering shift on time, ready to start the day with enthusiasm and curiosity. 

Anastasia Mackenzie – Best Team Player

Anastasia works well with all of her peers and tries to ensure that all members of the group are heard and included in the activities. If others are feeling unsure, Anastasia will offer to take the lead before encouraging others to get involved, for example when talking to visitors in the gardens. 

Ihor Riznichuk – Most Improved

Ihor has demonstrated dedication to becoming the best Youth Explainer he can from the first training session he attended. He asks questions and always looks for opportunities to develop his skills and knowledge further. Ihor has worked hard to push himself out of his comfort zone, especially when it comes to public speaking. 

Sophia Lawton, Milcah Tareke, David Martins

Sophia Lawton – Most hours volunteered

Sophia has shown incredible commitment throughout her time on the Youth Explainer Programme, with 100% attendance during the 6-month training programme. She has volunteered over 40 hours, compared to the average of 28 across the rest of the cohort. It is inspiring to watch the enthusiasm and energy she puts into every visitor interaction.

Milcah Tareke – Best Team Player

Milcah is always enthusiastic, professional and friendly in her role as a Youth Explainer. She is supportive of her fellow volunteers and actively looks for ways to develop her visitor engagement skills. She has definitely proven herself to be a great ambassador for the Youth Programme and for Kew.

David Martins – Most improved

David has shown amazing dedication and resilience during his time on the programme, working constantly to develop his communication skills and become and expert young volunteer. His confidence has grown immeasurably throughout the year and he has shown what you can achieve when you step out of your comfort zone.

Minashi Guruge, Honey Pandya and Lavish Kamal Kumar

Minadhi Guruge is this year’s Most Committed Volunteer. Minadhi has won this Award for having volunteered the most hours as a Youth Explainer.

Honey Pandya is the Best Team Player this year. Honey has consistently proved her ability to work well with others and support her peers. She is a great ambassador for young people at Kew and get involved with a number of activities outside the Youth Explainers programme.

Lavish Kamal Kumar is this year’s Best Learner, continually striving to learn more and develop his volunteering skills.