Chris Llewellyn

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Chris' strength and resilience have made him a cornerstone in the success of Rafi.ki, an online learning community. In one year he has brought over 400 schools onto Rafi.ki's network, a remarkable feat for any employee. Not only has he developed quickly and to an impressive standard, he has done this in the wake of an accident which left him paralysed a few years ago. He has developed sales, management and diplomacy skills, and now mentors and trains interns, passing on what he has learnt. The judges were inspired by Chris's development and his ability to already have had such an impact on the people he works with.

1 nomination from readers

  • Spend 5 minutes with Chris and you’ll understand why he should win. Chris is a poster boy for this sector, his combination of business acumen, personality and resilience put him head and shoulders above pretty much anyone else I’ve met.

    He’s also an incredibly nice chap and frankly he deserves to recognized for the hours of dedication he puts in.

    Nominated by henry, 18 May 2008

14 comments from readers

  • I have worked with Chris for 3 years now and he is extremely committed and hard working. He has volunteered countless hours of his time to help build up the social enterprise run by our charity and he truly deserves to be recognised for this.

    He has managed to engage hundreds of schools in our projects and is always willing to go the extra mile to support our stakeholders. He has raised the profile of our organisation with a number of high profile people including politicians, academics and celebrities by engaging them in our projects.

    Chris was in the first year of recovery after a spinal injury when he started working with us and is a wheelchair user. Transport has at times been an issue for him. When he started working with us he had to take the bus to reach our office which was difficult during rush hour. He overcame this obstacle by getting his driver's license and is now able to work a schedule he is comfortable with.

    Chris has a very unique and valuable combination of business acumen and interpersonal skills and is a real self-starter.

    I wholeheartedly support this nomination and hope that he will win as it would be a recognition of all the hard work he has done for our organisation.

    Submitted by Trine Petersen, 30 May 2008

  • I've known Chris Llewllyn for the last 8 months and am pleased to support his nomination.

    He uniquely combines a relaxed and friendly approach to working with schools alongside a close attention to detail and a commitment to supporting teachers innovate and think 'outside the box'

    His success is all the more significant given the many conflicting and time-consuming pressures teachers work under. However there are few in the staffroom who would not come away feeling positive and enthused after talking with Chris.

    He fully deserves recognition through an award such as this.

    Submitted by John McLaverty, 30 May 2008

  • I worked with Chris during the summer of 2005. He was always cheerful and enthusiastic, and put me at ease very quickly in a new working environment. He is a great colleague and a thoroughly nice guy.

    Submitted by Kirsten Campbell, 30 May 2008

  • Chris is a great person i worked with summer 2007 and had a great time. He really put me through and made feel right at home.I had a great time.

    Submitted by Judith Osuman, 30 May 2008

  • I worked with Chris in the fall of 2007. He is a enthusiatic teacher who constantly maintains a positive attitude. Chris was very supportive of new ideas and innovations. He is a role model and someone I thoroughly enjoyed working with.

    Submitted by Nicholas Von Mertens, 01 June 2008

  • I first met Chris in January 2005 and worked with him for 6 months on the Young People's Commission for Africa Project (a joint Gemini-org/Plan International development education project run largely by a group of committed volunteers). His tireless dedication, combined with his enthusiasm and wonderful sense of humour, were pivotal to the project's success. He thoroughly deserves this nomination.

    Submitted by Rachel Bagenal, 01 June 2008

  • I worked with Chris over the summer of 2005. He was welcoming, friendly and always helpful and reassuring. His guidance and advice helped me and other volunteers to succcesfully contribute towards the Young People's Commission for Africa Project. I fully support his nomination and wish him the best of luck.

    Submitted by Nicola Parkes, 02 June 2008

  • I worked with Chris on the Young People's Commission for Africa Project in 2005. His indomitable enthusiasm for the project and commitment to supporting others, his words of wisdom and the confidence he inspired in people was aweinspiring. Chris has the ability to make people feel at ease and thereby giving their best.

    Chirs is also great fun to be around, making work a pleasure. I couldn't be happier to support his nomination.

    Submitted by Pia Larsen, 02 June 2008

  • I've worked with Chris for about three years, on and off, and he's dead smart and that, almost as diligent and hard working, if ever there was a person who should win an award it was him.

    Submitted by Adam Priest, 03 June 2008

  • I have been working with Chris for the past few years on various projects. He has helped me make many contacts with schools and teachers around the world which has helped turn my pupils into global citizens. He has always been willing to help at all times and is always friendly and polite - nothing is too much trouble. He is always enthusiastic and gives everyone he meets the feeling they are important and he has all the time in the world to help them

    Submitted by Hina Robinson, 04 June 2008

  • I've worked with Chris for the past six months on the Rafi.ki project. I fully support his nomination and sincerely believe he deserves this award as recognition for the hard work he is putting into the growth of the Rafi.ki social enterprise.

    Thanks to Chris's dedication and commitment, Rafi.ki (the online learning community for schools) has grown significantly since its launch 18 months ago. Chris has played a key role in recruiting and engaging the 400 UK schools who are now using the site.

    Chris's role with Rafi.ki has required him to use his own initiative and respond to the challenges of working on a fast-growing project. He has facilitated over twenty Rafi.ki educational projects with hundreds of secondary schools worldwide, engaged high profile individuals in Rafi.ki's hotseat interviews, and trained countless teachers and students.

    In addition to his commitment to and achievements with Rafi.ki, I can honestly say that he is a real pleasure to work with and I really hope he wins!

    Submitted by Tammy Nelson, 04 June 2008

  • Chris is dynamic, energetic and fun!

    We are lucky to share an office space with him and find his sense of humor and warmth contagious. Every office needs a Chris.

    Submitted by The MyBnk team all 7 of us!, 05 June 2008

  • At the International Awards presentation for our school last year, when I first met Chris, his opening line was to ask me what I wanted to do in future at the school, and then he listened with interest, encouragement and kindness to my half-baked ideas. Since then he has been a constant source of support, whether it was Rafi.ki related or not, and looking back I realise that he helped me along at my speed so that I understood each challenge fully before moving on to the next step. Whether it was technical, academic or political, his advice was always considered, diplomatic, and delivered with unfailing good humour and civility. The variety of development he has offered ranges from inviting me round to the office to meet relevant staff, putting other teachers abroad in touch with me, suggesting other UK teachers with whom I might get in touch, and providing instant response to queries about information on hardware, software and styles of communication. He has been the one-stop-shop for the development of videoconferencing, both international and national, at my school. There is no one else in this niche, which he has developed so rapidly for himself, that could or did help me in this way. The well-earned support of the Government and the British Council testify to his skills and experience, not to mention the friendly atmosphere at the office and the attitude of his staff. Despite his commitment, hard work, and ability to adapt rapidly to developments, Chris never forgets the main aim of his work, to broaden the friendly community of international relationships in the world.

    Submitted by Steven Smith, 08 June 2008

  • We have known Chris since he was a child. He has an intellect beyond the range of most of us and yet has always been a great communicator. It has been a joy to see him transferring hs skills from the legal profession to the advancement and benifit of the children and schools in this country and abroad, as he came to terms with his own change of circumstance in such an amazingly selfless way. No one will know how much will power it took to pass his driving test, in a specially adapted car, to achieve his independence which has enabled him to be more involved in the project.

    Good Luck to you Chris, you deserve it.

    Submitted by Robin and Rosemary Sudlow, 17 June 2008

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