VOICES YOUTH AWARD
Voices Youth Award 2024 Nominations Open!
The Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons Fifth Annual Youth Award will be presented to a youth (35 years of age or younger) or organization pioneering or part of exemplary programs and actions to engage youth in the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. The award honors the legacy of former U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev and former U.S.A. Secretary of State George Shultz in their efforts for nuclear disarmament and will be presented on Nuclear Prayer Day, August 6, 2024.
Nomination submissions for the Fifth Annual Voices Youth Award 2024 are now being welcomed with a submission deadline of June 28, 2024. Required submission materials include the name of an individual or organization and supporting narrative, 250 words maximum. Additional materials such as online posts, photos, website articles, and video with a maximum of three minutes are welcome. To submit a nomination, please use the form at the bottom of this page. CLICK HERE to view the press release.
YOGEV VON KUNDRA
WINNER OF THE 4TH ANNUAL VOICES GORBACHEV/SHULTZ LEGACY YOUTH AWARD
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Yogev is a grassroots social justice, peace and environmental activist in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. He is also a farmer, a social worker for autistic children, and the treasurer of the Appalachian Peace Education Center.
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East Tennessee has a deep history regarding nuclear weapons. The Oak Ridge National Security Complex was built as part of the Manhattan Project for the purpose of enriching uranium for the first atomic bomb. Today, the entire nuclear weapons complex is undergoing a modernization process at the expected monetary cost of two trillion dollars. An element of Y-12’s modernization plan is to transfer from government control the process of purifying uranium for the bomb to BWXT-Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS), a private corporation in Erwin, Tennessee.
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The award was formally presented to Yogev Von Kundra on September 26, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
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Click HERE to Read the Press Release and Learn More!
The 2nd Annual Nuclear Prayer Day & Announcement of the 2023 Voices Gorbachev/Shultz Legacy Youth Award Winner, Yogev Von KundrA!
In tribute to those impacted by the Hiroshima & Nagasaki atomic bombings (August 6 & 8, 1945), our 2nd Annual Nuclear Prayer Day was held at St. Bartholomew's Church in New York. This video below captures the live event. We had a variety of moving prayers and speakers, many of whom are Voice's members. The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing announced the winner of 4th Annual Youth Award, Yogev Von Kundra, and explained the award's legacy. Thank you for sharing your prayers and hope with us. Click HERE to learn more about Nuclear Prayer Day.
PREVIOUS YEAR'S WINNERS
Sahil Shah
2nd Annual Award Winner (2021)
Sahil Shah works with the European Leadership Network. Learn more HERE.
Kehkashan Basu
1st Annual Award Winner (2020)
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Learn more about Kehkashan Basu, Founder-President of the Green Hope Foundation, HERE.
George Shultz
Founder holding the 1st Annual Youth Award.