A Big Thank you to Everyone involved in Making the TAFU – BCS Award a Huge Success!
05/06/2025
Last Friday, TAFU had the honour of hosting the 2025 TAFU–BCS Youth and Innovation Award Ceremony, generously hosted at IBM’s London offices. This event recognised exceptional young individuals who are championing ethical innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility through the creative use of technology. We are sincerely grateful to IBM for providing such an inspiring venue and to every organisation and individual whose support made this celebration possible.
We are especially proud that the Youth and Innovation Award competition was created, developed, and delivered entirely by TAFU. As a charitable organisation that operates with no revenue, seeks no funding, and depends wholly on voluntary effort, TAFU stands for action rooted in personal responsibility. We believe in giving, not requesting, and everything we do is driven by our commitment to empower young people to shape a better tomorrow through innovation, ethical leadership, with responsibility and purposeful engagement.
A heartfelt congratulations to all our winners, finalists and participants. Your creativity, dedication and sense of responsibility were present in every entry, and we are proud of each one of you.
🏆 Postgraduate Winner: Chukwuka Oforgu
🏆 Undergraduate Winner: Team EcoVibe: Rayaan Rafique & Mohammed Abdulla Bagosher
🏆 Year 9 Winner: HBS Visionaries: Laasyasree Bokkasam, Helen Vien, Sara Hazari, Ruilan Ma & Isabela Krovvidi
You brought bold ideas and thoughtful solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time. We celebrate your achievement and hope this experience stays with you as a reminder of the power of your voice and your vision.
A BIG thank you to Ms Nicola Hodson, Chair of IBM UK and Ireland, for accepting our proposal and approving IBM’s generous sponsorship. Our deep appreciation also goes to Jenny Taylor, whose outstanding coordination ensured every detail ran smoothly on the day. We are truly grateful to James Maltby, Amy Hayton, Ella Cooper, Tyler Doble, and the wider IBM UK team, whose wholehearted support made the entire event not only possible but something every finalist will remember for years to come.
By offering not only their venue but their genuine encouragement, IBM showed what real support looks like. In standing beside TAFU, they reminded us that personal responsibility, sustainability, and youth empowerment are not just words we say. They are principles we live by. When those with global reach choose to lift up grassroot efforts like ours, it becomes possible to build something real. Something that leaves a mark. And most importantly, something that helps young people believe in the power of their own actions.
For many of our finalists, it was their first time stepping into a space like IBM’s landmark London office, where they were warmly welcomed at the door by a quantum computer. The experience left a deep impression. It was not just an awards ceremony, but a moment of inspiration that made the future in their own hands feel real, tangible, and within reach.
We were also pleased to welcome Sarah Foxall and Nafisa Pires from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, who addressed the finalists with thoughtful words and genuine encouragement. Our sincere thanks also go to Laure Barker, who, during her time at BCS, helped us plant the first seeds of the TAFU–BCS partnership for Youth and Innovation Award. We are grateful to BCS for the elegant glass trophies, pins, and tote bags for all finalists, as well as the generous membership gifts and course vouchers awarded to our undergraduate and postgraduate winners. Most of all, we thank them for standing beside TAFU and lending their name to this initiative. Their support brought weight and recognition to our work, and we are proud to have partnered with them on this year’s Youth and Innovation Award.
A big thank you to our other sponsors, Storyboard and Underwood Marketing, for their kind support and presence during this special initiative. Thank you for you gesture and we are truly grateful to all those who stood with us and helped bring the Youth and Innovation Award to life.
Special thanks go to our keynote speaker, Dr Andrew Grantham, who captured the attention of our young audience with a talk that was insightful and fun. He brought serious ideas to life, from carbon literacy and sustainable travel to the power of women in shaping modern economics. By inviting the audience to win SDG badges, he made it fun, interactive and memorable.
A heartfelt thank you to our brilliant jury members, who took on the enormous task of reviewing and marking every submission with care, attention and integrity. It was no small job, and we are deeply grateful. Special thanks go to Paul Moore and Joe Arday, who led the judging for Sixth Form, GCSE and Year 9 entries. We are also thankful to Dr Jon Machtynger and Dr Oliver Kerr for their thoughtful evaluations in the Postgraduate and Undergraduate categories. To Dr Rasha Ibrahim, Marc Graf, Christine Sonvilla, David Briggs and Dr Colin Summerhayes, who reviewed across multiple areas, your insights added depth and balance. Our thanks also go to Dr Colin Summerhayes, Chair of the Sustainability Jury, and to Karen Medhat MSc, Chair of the IT Jury, for guiding the process with wisdom and fairness. Your time, your judgment, and your belief in these young people made all the difference.
A big thank you to all the young people who took part in the promotion of the award: Lilly Miller, Owain D Thomas, Stjepan Rak, Daniela Vordermaier, Neha Neha, Daniel Wong, Harley Onyx Giddins, Tomos Roberts, Thierry-Techa Njougue Souchio and Karl Maxwell Adedayo K Ogunmiloyo.
We also extend our warmest thanks to Mr Kasim R CullenIT teacher and Head of Department at Henrietta Barnett School, who led and guided the students of HBS Visionaries with such care and purpose. Their achievement was a true reflection of the guidance they received. We are equally grateful to Jaspreet Singh Sethi from Middlesex University Dubai, whose support encouraged students to join and aim high and take pride in their innovation and dedication, and lead Team EcoVibe to success.
Also, to all the teachers and educators who inspired their students to take part, to take responsibility and to dare to try, thank you. This Award belongs to them as much as it does to the young people it celebrates.
We are also deeply grateful to our trustees and honoured guests, including our trustee Nicky Bishop, our supporter Shaun Underwood, Prof Dr Ilonka Metze and Dr Ip-Shing Fan, whose presence meant so much. To those who could not attend but stood with us from afar, Dr. Colin Summerhayes and our trustees Neil Ellis and Aaron Thorne, thank you. Shaun and James, whose photographs captured the day. A heartfelt thanks to Rob and Paul for bringing our unique trophy to life.
And last but not at all least deep heartfelt thank you to all our dedicated volunteers, and most importantly, the incredible young people whose ideas, courage, and vision continue to inspire us.
