Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Youth Ambassadors Programme was created as a platform to provide youth with the opportunity to serve their country and be advocates on behalf of children and youth. The 2015-2016 youth ambassadors have made service and advocacy an essential aspect of their mandate.

As we end Child Month we cannot help but reflect on each frightening and chilling image of neglect, abuse, murder, starvation and kidnapping that continues to plague our vulnerable children. Our current leaders and the adults among us have handed us the baton of youth leadership and philanthropic service, and as we prepare to pass on the baton, we are forced to ponder the reality that the potential of many of our children is being stifled.

If the destruction of future leaders continues, then we must ask, to whom will we pass the baton? If our children continue to fall prey to these adult predators and perverts, to whom will we pass the baton? If aspiring leaders of our nation go missing then to whom will we pass the baton? If our budding ambassadors fall victim to human trafficking, to whom will we pass the baton? When physical and sexual abuse continues to be force-fed to our children, to whom will we pass the baton?

I recently watched a video posted to

Instagram where a little boy was the guest preacher at Burchell Baptist Church in Montego Bay. He spoke of how God can use ordinary persons to create extraordinary results. His leadership potential was obvious to everyone who heard him speak, and he stood as a prime example of the capability all children hold to be strong, proud beacons of light in the face of the ills our children face. It is our responsibility to nurture this light and make Jamaica a truly brighter place for our children.

Rochelle A R James

Jamaica Youth Ambassador to the United Nations

reid.chelle@gmail.com