Milton Keynes councillor meets the King after Commonwealth honour
A Milton Keynes councillor who founded a charity for children living on the streets of Ghana has met His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla at St James's Palace after being named one of the QECT 100 Young Leaders 2026.
Isaac Opoku, who represents Oldbrook Ward on Campbell Park Community Council, received his award in person this October at a ceremony at Asprey in Mayfair, London. The honour, given by the Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust, marks what would have been the 100th birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It celebrates young people across the Commonwealth whose work shows what one person can do through service.
As one of the awardees, Isaac was also invited to a reception at St James's Palace, where he spoke with Their Majesties and met Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester and other distinguished guests.
“When I started Starlight, I never pictured myself in rooms like these,” he said. “But I have always believed that where you start does not decide where you finish. If one young person reads this and starts to believe that about themselves, then this recognition has done its job.”
Isaac was born and raised in Accra by a single mother. In 2018, he founded the Starlight Foundation, a community-based organisation that works with children living and working on the streets of Ghana and with their families. Through more than 50 initiatives, it has reached over 40,000 people with scholarships, vocational training, and startup capital for mothers, and a STEAM education model built for vulnerable communities at its Centre for Design and Innovation in Accra.
Its flagship programme, Menso Meka Ho Bi, which means “I'm also privileged," supports whole families rather than individual children so that progress lasts. The Foundation also contributed to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's General Comment 27, helping to shape children's rights policy worldwide. This year it contributed to two United Nations consultations on young people and gave written input to Ghana's first National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security.
Elected this year as Councillor for Oldbrook Ward, Isaac is one of the youngest members of Campbell Park Community Council. His priorities include mentoring young people, creating safe and inclusive public spaces, supporting families under pressure, and tackling social isolation.
He also volunteers as a peer mentor with Connection Support in the UK, a charity that helps people facing homelessness, housing difficulties, and mental health challenges. Earlier this month, he spoke at the charity's Staff and Volunteer Conference 2026 to more than 100 staff and volunteers, sharing what a year of mentoring had taught him about consistency, empathy, and kindness.
Before entering local politics, he worked at Oakgrove School and Brooklands Academy, supporting students with additional learning needs. He holds a master’s from Cranfield University, a Certificate in Sustainability Innovation Strategy from the University of Cambridge, and an Advanced Professional Certificate in Leadership and Management from the London School of Business Administration, and is a Project Management Professional (PMP). He is also an Aspen UK Rising Leaders Fellow and a Fellow of the African Middle Eastern Leadership Project and is a member of the British Academy's Early Career Researcher Network.
Isaac hopes his story will reach young people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds who doubt whether there is a place for them in public life.
“Talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” he said. “Too many young people grow up thinking leadership belongs to someone else. Your accent, your postcode, and your background are not the limit. Turn up, keep going, and let your work speak for you.”
The award, he says, is not the finish line. His focus remains on Oldbrook, on the people he mentors, and on the families Starlight serves in Ghana.
Photo credit: Ian Jones Photography