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Amit Dodani, a 16-year-old from West Hills, California, is among winners of the 2nd annual Peace First Prize, recognizing youth peacemakers, ages 8-22, who are leaders focused on making lasting social change in their communities.
The winners will receive a two-year, $25,000 Fellowship to further their peacemaking work, according to the Peace First website. Through his organization, My Name My Story, Dodani, a senior at Chaminade College Preparatory High School, aims to inspire empathy by hosting events in schools to allow students to discuss issues around friendship, unity, family, and passion.
“We have been teaching peacemaking in schools for 20 years and know first-hand that young people can make a real difference in their communities,” Eric D. Dawson, president and co-founder of Peace First was quoted in the press release on their website. “The Peace First Prize is our way of celebrating youth peacemaking in action,” he added. At a time when violence among youth permeates the news, the prize celebrates young people’s achievements and shares their impressive work with the nation.
“I commend these extraordinary young people who are doing great work and making a real difference in their schools and communities. They inspire hope in all of us,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.
According to his biodata on My Name My Story website, Dodani’s speech impediment made his early school years tough; comments from peers and faculty had chipped away at his self-image.
Despite being picked on, Dodani joined the debate team in middle school and found the confidence to overcome, and soon his biggest weakness became his greatest strength. After witnessing anti-bullying efforts fail at his high school, Dodani, at 14, started My Name My Story.
Now, at age 16, he is dedicated to spread the message of My Name My Story through storytelling, leadership, teamwork and service. The organization aims to have MNMS Changemakers in every school around the world that share
“One Million Stories that Inspire,” its website says.
Other recipients of the Peace First Prize include Eli Erlik, age 19, of Claremont, California, who founded Trans Student Equality Resources, an organization dedicated to improving the educational environment for transgender and gender nonconforming students; Imani Henry, 12, of Wilmington, Delaware, whose 100 Men Reading fills a need for non-traditional literacy programs for young children who are struggling with reading; Matthew Kaplan, 17, of Phoenix, Arizona, who started the Be ONE Project, a bullying prevention program for middle school students that hopes to harness the power of peer pressure for good; and Amanda Matos, 22, of Bronx, New York, who founded WomanHOOD, an organization that hosts workshops to teach high school girls in the Bronx the skills to become social and political activists in order to increase the representation of women of color in government, higher education, and the workforce.
