Star pupil wins prestigious international prize
A pupil from a Star secondary school has won a prestigious international prize thanks to his work recycling school uniforms and supporting the local community.
Muhammad Karbhari, from Tauheedul Islam Boys’ School (TIBHS), in Blackburn, has been awarded £10,000 funding by the Ardonagh Community Trust (ACT), Bright Future Prize 2022, which attracted entries from all over the world.
Now in its second year, The Bright Future Prize aims to empower young people aged 13-19 to become the next generation of community leaders by funding their bright ideas that will make a difference to their chosen cause.
This year, £40,000 was awarded to winners over four categories, each connected to a different way young people can help spark a positive change in the world around them.
Muhammad’s bright idea, which won the Your Vision category, focused on helping the student-led social enterprise Uniformity, at TIBHS, reach new heights. The enterprise helps parents and carers access affordable school uniforms whilst as the same time helping the planet and local community.
Uniformity upcycles school uniforms, enabling parents to donate and purchase used clothing via an innovative e-commerce platform. All profits go straight into funding the school’s food bank, so not only does it provide a way to reuse uniform and tackle the environmental impact of clothing it also helps local people access vital supplies.
Now, with the enterprise growing, the team have set their sights on expanding to more schools in the area, and are planning to purchase their own dry-cleaning machine to reduce costs and upgrade their online platform to make it simpler to donate and purchase clothing.
Muhammad said:
“It’s an amazing feeling to come ahead of people all around the world. This funding will help so many people in the long run, not just those needing affordable clothing. It will help us to expand and means our foodbanks can help even more people in the area.
“This enterprise is about reinforcing one of our key STAR values, that of Service, and on a personal level it has enhanced my leadership skills and complements my faith values too. Just like everyone at TIBHS, I have high ambitions for my future and this funding will definitely support that going forward.
“It’s great to know I’m supported by not only everyone at TIBHS but also at the ACT. Thank you for choosing us, we are very excited for the future.”
The Bright Future Prize was inspired by Freddie Williams, the son of Ardonagh employee David and his wife Sarah who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer at the age of seven.
When Freddie died, the contents of his money box were donated to ACT to help ‘the next poorly child’. This simple gesture led to the idea of the Bright Future Prize, to support young people to make a positive impact – and as part of Freddie’s continued legacy, David and Sarah help the ACT Trustees to select its Bright Future Prize winners.
Hear more from Muhammad talking about his project here.
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 7th Oct 2022 | Posted In: Latest News