Prince Harry keeping mother’s legacy as he meets group of Princess Diana Award honorees 

Prince Harry is carrying on the legacy of his late mother by actively participating in her work.

In a recent event, the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex pleasantly surprised a group of young people in California who were honored with the Diana Award, an organization dedicated to Princess Diana’s memory.

The event’s host, Vee Kativhu, recently shared a short film documenting the remarkable interactions that occurred during the Conversations for Change seminar. In her caption, she expressed the significance of the event and its impact on those involved.

“This conversation was so special and featured global Changemakers and also supporters of youth dotted around the room.”

“We touched on social media, social justice, inequality and how to combat burn out while advocating for the incredibly important topics that many of the youth around the table have dedicated their lives to,” she added on Instagram.

While the Conversations for Change meetings have taken place around the U.K. before, this was the first time the Diana Award had held an event in another country. Before the discussion kicked off in Los Angeles, Harry delighted four of this year’s Diana Award recipients by handing them their certificates. 

“One of the things that struck me about even those four — even though they all do different things — was that their stories were really underpinned by the need for change,” Diana Award CEO Tessy Ojo, who was at the meeting, tells PEOPLE. “Driving change in inequality, particularly in education. This might be wanting to create better access to various forms of education. So it might be education around employability or education around or better healthcare.“

“Really incredibly, it amazes me how young these young people are and how big the issues they’re tackling are,” she adds.

“On one hand. I hugely applaud them,” Ojo continues. “I also recognize that it also demonstrates the need to pull them into networks much more so that they feel supported because they’re carrying huge, huge burdens.”

Harry’s California meeting took place as he and Prince William, 41, appeared in two separate videos for the annual Diana Awards in late June, just ahead of what would have been Diana’s 62nd birthday.

During this event, the princes appeared in two separate videos to honor 189 young changemakers from 31 countries.

On the day of the awards, William, 41, was introduced by former Diana Award Legacy Award winner Hannah Hodgson, who met the prince two years ago.

“The Prince of Wales praised her and the other young people for the “challenges they have overcome” to reach this point. “What unites them is their courage, compassion and a relentless dedication to improving the lives of others,” he said.

“Today, we recognize the power of all young people — the power to challenge the status quo, to confront injustice, and to inspire meaningful change.”