Dani Stephenson, from London is to be recognised at the Palace of Westminster with the prestigious British Citizen Award (BCA) in recognition of his extraordinary endeavours. The British Citizen Award in partnership with One Stop, is now in its ninth year and recognises exceptional individuals who positively impact their communities throughout the country. Dubbed ‘The People’s Honours’ due to the fact that anyone with an OBE, CBE of KBE is ineligible to receive a BCA, this programme recognises true community heroes for their divergent endeavours and positive impact on society.
Dani is one of only 29 individuals to be recognised at the Palace of Westminster on 26th January 2023 and will be honoured with The British Citizen Award for Services to the Community. Dani will receive the coveted BCA Medal of Honour and invited to use the post-nominals BCAc as a legacy of his achievements.
Dani was raised in a deprived council estate in a low-income household by a single parent. The struggles he experienced in life became a key motivation to become socially responsible and to give back to society. This led to the creation of his charitable non-profit, Straight Forward Giving, which believes every young person should have the chance to change their life through music, yet research shows that many can’t, because of who they are, where they are from or what they are going through. Dani aims to change that.
Dani’s commitment to supporting communities began at 16, when he started volunteering at the Tovil Quality of Life community house project in Kent. It acted as the cornerstone of Tovil, supporting residents to improve their quality of life across all areas. Since then, Dani has taken an active role in volunteering for various charities including United Nations and Prince’s Trust, whilst creating his own initiatives to help mentor the next generation of aspiring youth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Dani kept his recording facilities open to continue mentoring, whilst launching a new initiative called ‘ComUnity’, an online educational programme which provides communities with free access to educational courses.
“This year’s medallists have reminded us of how many amazing people are supporting our communities, especially during such a challenging time. At One Stop we serve many communities across the country, and we know how important voluntary work is to support those in need. We’re proud to be partnering with the BCA again and to play a small part in helping each medallist to be recognised. Our congratulations go to all honourees”, said Jack Taylor Head of Community Partnerships, One Stop.
The Medal presentation will be hosted by TV presenter and BCA Patron, Nick Knowles, and attended by another BCA Patron, Dame Mary Perkins, Founder of Specsavers, and The Rt Hon Lord Dholakia. The British Citizen Award (BCA) was established in 2015 to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on their communities and society.
Each medallist has a day to remember befitting their achievements. At the Palace of Westminster medals will be presented by Senior Representatives from official partner One Stop, Places for People, Specsavers, and Big Bus London, who all support this unique programme. Medalists then board an Open Top Lap of Honour tour before attending a certificate presentation at the prestigious Church House.
The British Citizen Award is widely viewed as the nation’s way of recognising extraordinary, everyday people for exceptional endeavor and are truly representative of today’s multicultural Britain. The Medal presentation is held twice annually, January and July, to nominate an outstanding individual from your community to be considered for The People’s Honours visit www.britishcitizenawards.co.uk.
