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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle delighted a group of young leaders with a surprise phone call in which they thanked them on behalf of their children for improving the digital world.

The Archewell Foundation, a philanthropic organization set up by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is on the advisory board of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF), a new initiative that aims to empower young people to advocate for the changes they want to see in the technology industry.

Twenty-six youth-led initiatives will be given a total of $2 million to support their efforts to create a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable technology ecosystem. 

In a video shared by the RTYPF, Harry and Meghan can be seen beaming as they call to congratulate some of the young leaders who have been chosen for the inaugural cohort.

Harry, 38, referenced the couple’s children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, in the clip saying: ‘Thank you for doing everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful.’ Meghan, 41, then added with a laugh: ‘They don’t know it yet, but they will!’

Sam Hiner, executive director of the Young People’s Alliance Education Fund, was among those to receive a phone call from the couple.

He told People magazine: ‘What I appreciated is that sometimes it feels like we’re not as recognized for the advocacy we do as young people.

‘I really appreciated that they saw the importance of the work that we were doing and were speaking to the importance of young people getting engaged in the democratic process.’

Trisha Prabhu from the organisation Rethink Citizens told the couple: ‘It was like young people were empowered and emboldened to say things to me online that they would never say to me in person.

‘And so my vision was, can we actually stop the cyber bullying at the source with the cyber bully via a behavioural approach that actually teaches young people to pause and rethink.’

And Harry responded: ‘This is amazing. This is exactly why we do what we do. This is exactly why the Youth Power Fund was created.’

Tazin Khan Norelius, founder of Cyber Collective, was also congratulated by the couple who said they were ‘really proud of the work’ her group was doing.

Meghan also asked Ms Norelius to pass on a message to her father, who was an inspiration behind the organisation for which she is now chief executive.

Ms Norelius told People: ‘She said, ‘Tell Baba I say hi!’ Which was really sweet. The impetus of me starting this organization, one of the reasons was because dad got hacked.

‘When I was able to share that story, I think that maybe resonated with them, and they congratulated me. When I told my dad, he was just so excited about it.’

In a statement reported by Town and Country magazine, RTYPF co-founder Emma Leiken said today: ‘Societies globally are wrestling with major issues like the youth mental health crisis and the decay of our information environment.

‘What and who can we trust online? Can online spaces be truly safe and affirm wellbeing? And what new systems can we create with, instead of for, young people?

‘These questions touch on issues ranging from platform accountability to cybersecurity, privacy, digital literacy, data equity, algorithmic bias, and digital well-being and that’s what this fund’s grantees will tackle.’

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