Inaaya Ijaz was announced as the winner of The Recorder and Barkingside & Redbridge Rotary Club’s Young Citizen Award at Redbridge Town Hall on March 12.
The annual event shines a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of young people in the borough aged 25 and under.
Inaaya, 15, is a pupil at Ark Isaac Newton Academy and has a long list of achievements which saw her named as the overall winner.
Her positive contributions to Redbridge include her role as deputy member of the Youth Parliament, chief voice officer for Kids Against Plastic and an ambassador for Child Friendly Redbridge.
Inaaya’s desire to help was inspired by a documentary during the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the harm posed to Earth by plastic.
She said: “I was watching David Attenborough at that time. He was talking about plastic pollution in the ocean and how it has such a negative impact on animals and all of that.
“I never knew anything about plastic pollution. I never heard about it so I had to do a lot of research.
“During the lockdown, it was such a good use of my time. I learnt so much about the environment and gained so much knowledge.”
In realising her own unawareness, Inaaya was motivated to help other people make more conscious and informed decisions by sharing her passion.
She added that her work with charity Kids Against Plastic for the past four-and-a-half years has opened doors to discussions with other young people about the environment.
Inaaya revealed that one of the most rewarding experiences for her is her freedom to get her message across on 24 Hours Radio, based in Ilford.
A key aim for the teenager is “amplifying” the youth voice in Redbridge on matters such as bullying and sexual harassment, but also on issues faced by the wider society such as vapes and knife crime.
Using her positions in the borough, she wishes to remove the stigma and stereotypes surrounding youths that claim “young people don’t know what they’re talking about”.
Despite her independence, Inaaya admitted that her parents have been her “backbone”.
She said: “They’ve always supported me, they’ve always been on my side.
“I’ve always been told that if you put in a lot of hard work, it will always come back to you in some kind of way. I guess this is proof.”
Reflecting on her win after the awards, the 15-year-old admitted it has added more fuel to her passion.
Inaaya said: “I just want to use the fact that I have been nominated and won the Young Citizen Award to motivate and inspire the rest of the youth as well.
“I want to let them know that you can start now and it’s never too late to start your journey.
“If there’s something that you’re super passionate about, you shouldn’t wait to act on it.”
Michael Cox, digital audience and content editor at the Ilford Recorder, said: “It was a pleasure to be involved in this award once again and to hear about the amazing efforts of inspirational young people in Redbridge.
“They should rightly be very proud of what they do. Congratulations to all those who were nominated.”
Young Citizen of the Year 2025 runners up
- Aiden Walton, 13, for his “remarkable” and “inspiring” initiative that launched a stop motion animation club at Lab Central, Redbridge Central Library
- Rico Jain Naha, 10, for using his “love for treats” to help bring advent calendars, Easter eggs and more to children via 22 different charities and organisations.
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Young Citizen of the Year 2025 nominees
- Hannah Husain, 15, Chadwell Heath Academy
- Hukam Singh, 15, Chadwell Heath Academy
- Sharanjit Dhinjan, 15, Chadwell Heath Academy
- Franco Balasoiu, nine, South Park Primary School
- Abbittha Ponniah, 23, Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure, Redbridge Arts & Culture Team
- Scott Cole, 17, Redbridge Youth Service
