TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - June 13, 2017) -

-- Cheyenne Hardy, Joshua Cochrane, Lindsay Cummings and Donovan Faraoni Are Winners of The Prince's Youth Service Awards --

-- Winners to receive awards in front of 20,000 peers at WE Day Toronto 2017 --

Today the WE Movement, working with Prince's Charities Canada, are proud to announce this year's winners of the second annual Prince's Youth Service Awards on behalf of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The national awards program honours exceptional young Canadians who are taking positive actions at home and in the global community. Together, Prince's Charities Canada and WE recognize the commitment of a new generation of young leaders passionate about changing the world, and through the awards, hope to inspire youth across Canada to build a brighter future together.

Made possible through the support of RBC, the awards are presented to youth who have distinguished themselves through outstanding community service and social action. The awards are divided into four categories celebrating the unique achievements of each winner, including: Local Community Development, Global Action, Social Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability. This year's winners will receive their awards on the WE Day Toronto 2017 stage where they will be honoured for their extraordinary accomplishments and celebrated in a stadium filled with 20,000 of their peers.

The 2017 Prince's Youth Service Awards winners are:

WE are community leaders -- Cheyenne Hardy, 16, Dartmouth, NS

Change can start at home. The recipient of this award is taking positive action in their community.

• Cheyenne Hardy is aware of how her home of Dartmouth North is perceived as dangerous and unsafe. Determined to shift Dartmouth North's negative perception, Cheyenne is changing how others see her hometown by asking for the support of local businesses and leaders to help her in creating a video sharing only her community's finest qualities. After uploading her video to YouTube, Cheyenne's video received positive attention and she was approached by her local media. Cheyenne's proud message has reached new audiences, replacing old negative stereotypes with positivity.

WE are global leaders -- Joshua Cochrane, 11, Yarmouth, NS

Changing the world is possible. The recipient of this award is taking action on important global issues.

• Growing up autistic, Joshua always felt the world overlooked his strengths because of his condition. At four years old, Joshua wanted to help end the stigma surrounding autism and decided to take action by spreading awareness on a global level. Each year, Joshua attends the World Autism Festival and Awards where he connects with his peers from over 60 countries and learns about the challenges they face while sharing his positive determination to help break the stigma. Wherever he goes, Joshua shares his story and the stories of his peers to showcase the incredible, positive traits of being autistic.

WE are social innovators -- Lindsay Cummings, 12, Calgary, AB

Changing the world starts when you think outside the box. The recipient of this award uses innovative solutions to tackle social problems.

• At ten years old, Lindsay Cummings decided to dedicate her spare time to helping others by launching her own soap-making business, 'Soap for Hope.' A small, scented-soap social-enterprise, all 'Soap for Hope' proceeds are donated to a cause she's passionate about, WE's international development projects. Lindsay sells her scented soaps door-to-door, and always the innovator, has continued to expand the social enterprise with creative scents, such as Root Beer Float, Cotton Candy, Gingerbread and many more. Through 'Soap for Hope', Lindsay has supported WE's health projects in Ecuador and this coming year, is supporting WE's education projects in Kenya.

WE are agents of sustainability -- Donovan Faraoni, 16, Sherbrooke, QC

Taking charge of our planet's future is possible. The recipient of this award is dedicated to environmental stewardship and creative solutions to issues facing our environment.

• Donovan Faraoni is passionate about the environment and is dedicated to raising awareness about sustainability. Every year, Donovan participates in Estrie, Quebec's regional science fair where he presents issues affecting our eco-system alongside sustainable solutions. One of Donovan's most compelling projects focuses on the environmental damages of road salt, encouraging Canadians to use more effective and eco-friendly solutions. Some of Donovan's other projects include car pollution and how glass skyscrapers can provide power to a city's solar cars and the next generation of solar cells to offset the growing demand for energy needs. Donovan has successfully widened his audience reach by participating in media interviews, sitting on the Compton-Stanstead Greater Sherbrooke Youth Council and leading his school to live more sustainably.

"The Prince of Wales began his charitable career helping young people when he started the Prince's Trust back in 1976 to provide a hand-up to those in need," said Amanda Sherrington, President & CEO, Prince's Charities Canada. "Each of today's winners exemplifies that same spirit of service and the desire to make their communities a better place."

"This year's awards received an overwhelming amount of unique and inspiring applications, but these four youth stood out as champion leaders among their peers," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE. "These Canadian trailblazers are taking incredible actions in their backyards and on the world stage, tackling important issues that will help build a brighter future for Canada. I am excited to see how these young winners will continue to grow as the next generation of change-makers and influence others to join them in creating a ripple-effect of doing good."

"Our congratulations to these remarkable young Canadians," added Wayne Bossert, Deputy Chairman, RBC Wealth Management. "They exemplify the passion, drive and optimism that will lead us into Canada's next 150 years. We're proud to help honour them with The Prince's Youth Service Awards."

Award winners for each category were selected by a panel of judges made up of notable Canadians including:

Spencer West, WE ambassador, motivational speaker and author; Amanda Sherrington, President and CEO of Prince's Charities Canada; Matthew Rowe, Director, Operations & Partnerships of Prince's Charities Canada; Tamara Gordon, Advisory Council, Prince's Charities Canada,; Barry Avrich, Partner, BT/A Advertising; Matthew Corrin, Founder and CEO of Freshii; Joe Mimran, Founder, Joe Fresh and Dragon, Dragons' Den; Mike "Pinball" Clemons, CFL Hall of Famer, Vice Chair of the Toronto Argonauts; David Martin, President Horizon Capital Holdings Inc.; and Maureen Dockendorf, BC Ministry of Education Superintendent of Early Years.

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About The Prince of Wales support for young people and service

The Prince of Wales has long believed in the potential of young people and in the benefits of service. In 1976, His Royal Highness founded The Prince's Trust in the United Kingdom, which this year is celebrating 40 years of supporting 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school or at risk of exclusion. The Trust's programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping them develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by the Trust move into work, education or training, and last year HRH's desire to help went global, with the launch of Prince's Trust International.

About WE

WE is an organization that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. A unique family of organizations, WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering change with resources that create sustainable impact, and ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. The celebration of that change happens at WE Day -- inspiring stadium-sized life-changing events that take place around the world. A movement of 3.4 million young people supporting 2,500+ local and global causes, we've provided more than 1 million people with clean water and built 1,000 schools and schoolrooms overseas, giving more than 200,000 children access to education. WE was founded more than 20 years ago by humanitarians, activists and social entrepreneurs, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. Join the WE movement today at www.we.org

About Prince's Charities Canada

Prince's Charities Canada, was established in 2011 to expand and enhance The Prince's Canadian charitable work. Prince's Charities Canada currently has 12 initiatives including those focussed on help for veterans who want to start their own businesses; engaging corporate leaders on youth unemployment; revitalizing traditional Aboriginal languages; and the promotion of wool as a sustainable fibre. Working from coast to coast to coast, their initiatives touch on one or more of His Royal Highness's charitable priorities including: the built environment, education and young people, global sustainability, and responsible business.

www.princescharities.ca

About RBC

As Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization, Royal Bank of Canada is committed to providing the foundation, resources and guidance to help kids believe in themselves, become leaders and be inspired to take action to make the world a better place. Since 2012, RBC has been a National Co-Title Sponsor of WE Day and a National Premier Partner of WE Schools, reinforcing their position as a leading corporate citizen committed to empowering and enabling youth to become local and global agents of change. Through RBC's focused support of programs like We Create Change, We Act Financial Literacy curriculum resources and their own employee engagement efforts with WE Day events from coast to coast, RBC brings their commitment to life and helps kids from across Canada create the change they want to see in the world. Find out more about RBC and WE Charity's partnership here.