More than 150 young people from Redbridge received awards from the Jack Petchey Foundation for their community work.
At a recent digital event, 157 youngsters aged 11-25 received achievement awards and a £250 grant for them to spend towards their school or youth group.
Six adults were given Leader Awards for their outstanding ability to motivate young people.
Among the winners were two students from the Palmer Academy in Seven Kings - Jasdeep Panum and Areeb Mahmood, both of whom are members of Ilford Citizens group.
While she was busy studying for her A-levels, Jasdeep, 17, also supported her school's staff throughout lockdown to help find community programmes for them to work with.
She decided to spend her grant money on an extra year 13 prom food stall and stationary equipment.
Areeb, 16, has been a leader in the citizens group and in the last two years has been honing his leadership skills.
He said: "Working with Ilford Citizens was a breath of fresh air, allowing the voices of young people from various social economic backgrounds to be heard and make a difference."
He urged other young people to get involved in their citizens group.
Areeb decided to treat his colleagues at the citizens group with a reward meal from his £250 grant and also got ID badges for its members.
Emma King, 15, from Caterham High School, Clayhall, was awarded for her leadership skills helping at a Panathlon event for young students with disabilities.
Emma said: "I was shocked and overjoyed to receive this award and it is a great honour that I am very proud of."
She decided to spend her money on books for her classmates, including titles by Michael Morpurgo and Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl.
Another winner was Mary Lavalie, 13, from the Ursuline Academy in Ilford.
Mary assisted one of her friends after she was involved in an accident.
She visited her in hospital and supported her return to school.
Cllr Zulfiqar Hussain, Mayor of Redbridge, gave a speech at the event and said: “The hard work and determination the award winners have shown to achieve this award is a credit to them, their school and the borough and we are proud of each and every one of them.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here