The producers of Talk Up Yout are expressing renewed zeal over their mission of providing a platform for the voices of young people after the radio show was awarded the 2022 Prime Minister’s Youth Award in the category of Social Entrepreneurship on Saturday.

For over a decade, Talk Up Yout has contributed to developing the nation’s youth while creating safe spaces for young people to contribute to nation-building by speaking openly about issues that affect them the most.

Reflecting on the Prime Minister’s Youth Award, Founder, Executive Producer and Chief Advocate, Emprezz Golding says she is “grateful for the opportunity to mentor and provide a network for so many young persons to achieve academic opportunities and self-improvement.

“This national recognition proves that we are making an impact and gives me a renewed commitment to the Talk Up Yout mission of ‘giving the youth a voice,’” she said in a release.

Senior Radio Producer on the Talk Up Yout radio show, Damian Scarlett shared that “this award serves as further motivation to continue the work of civic engagement and building on the impact we’ve made in communities across Jamaica, especially those where unattached youth reside and are among the most vulnerable.”

Talk Up Yout has served thousands of youth with its innovative development programmes and currently has a cohort of 40 young people between the ages of 15 and 30 who operate in various capacities in the organisation such as radio show hosts, producers, social media coordinators, CSR programmers, content creators, course developers and social change advocates, according to the release.

Notable young Jamaicans who have been and still are a part of Talk Up Yout include attorney Malike Kellier; Kristeena Monteith, a past winner of the Prime Minister Youth Award and a creative producer; Stephen Francis, university lecturer; Khamara Wright, 2019 JCDC Festival Queen; and Dainalyn Swaby, 2017 JCDC Festival Queen and climate change activist.

Remarking on her journey with Talk Up Yout, Shaqkeera Douglas, one of the lead hosts said: “The Talk Up Yout radio show has allowed me to increase my network both of persons in a position to fuel change and also of persons who are in need of this change. Nation building often requires a team of persons. For this reason, I appreciate my Talk Up Yout radio family and I am extremely proud of the work we have done so far.”