Last Thursday, six of Jamaica’s youth were appointed by the Governor General as youth ambassadors, under the Ministry of Education’s Youth Ambassadors P

rogramme (JAYAP)

. The youth ambassadors have been appointed to various regional

organisations

in order to contribute to meaningful change in issues affecting the youth. 

Former Observer writer, Andre Marriott-Blake, has been appointed to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Marriott-Blake, a final year student at

teenAGE

Norman Manley Law School

, is also the founder of the highly successful Live in the City concert series. This charity initiative saw various local

artistes

perform in aid of ventures such as inner city school feeding and education

programmes

,  patient support for lupus and sickle cell. He also boasts a plethora of other achievements,  including being once named Youth Prime Minister. His counterpart, representing CARICOM is

final year University

of the West Indies law student, Terisa Thompson. Thompson, who has also been in various positions of youth leadership, recently launched her own documentation company, Character’s Canvas,  and was recently awarded ‘Most Outstanding Local President’ by Junior Chamber International. 

Jamar Howell, a Prime Minister’s youth

awardee

in the category of National Leadership, and Rochelle Reid-James, author of the book, ‘Climate Change Adaptation’

were also appointed

to the United Nations General Assembly. The youngest of the ambassadors, 19-year-old Sujae Boswell was appointed to Commonwealth, along with Caribbean Studies teacher at Jamaica College, Tijani Christian. 

All the ambassadors, while embracing the appointment as an

honour

, look forward to

effec

tively

utilising

the platform g

iven to r

epresent the youth well in addressing issues of regional and national importance.