By Tangerine Clarke
A selection process, which
began on March 5, will qualify
nine exceptional students from
high schools and universities
across the Caribbean for internship,
and a rare opportunity to
lead regional change on behalf of
Youths For Excellence (YFE).
The students will work alongside
the executive board of
Youths For Excellence (YFE),
the advisory board and board
of directors that comprises current
and former ministers of government
across several nations
heads of multinational corporations,
founders of foundations
and renowned policy researchers
.B
oard Chair and President
of (YFE), Jénine Shepherd, who
founded the Jamaica-based
organization in 2015, a registered
charity for the holistic development
of underserved youth,
and who recently launched the
internship, told Caribbean Life
that the program gives students
an immersive experience in the
world of policy advocacy and
non-profit governance.
The application was opened
to all Caribbean nationals and
was accessible on the charity’s
website: www.youthsforexcellence.
Caribbean L 8 ife, MARCH 12-18, 2021
org.
Applicants were asked to submit
a resume or curriculum
vitae, and asked to answer supplementary
questions about their
motivations for the program.
The majority of the work by
YFE will be conducted remotely,
in line with recommendations
from the WHO and Caribbean
governments, to prevent
the spread of COVID-19. More
information is available at www.
youthsforexcellence.org/.
Shepherd, a student of
Amherst College, who has hosted
top leaders on Zoom conferences
to educate the Jamaican diaspora
about COVID-19, said she recognized
the effects of social and
economic deprivation on young
children as they prepare for and
sit their exit exams.
“These results can shape the
life prospects of children for years
to come, and the playing field is
not level. Children in inner-city
communities face barriers in so
many aspects: a whole systems
approach is necessary for their
education and upliftment,” said
Shepherd.
Since its inception, YFE has
championed a holistic method
of educational intervention. The
organization has assisted children
to receive textbooks, tablets,
health checkups, bus pass,
grocery vouchers and resources
for their parents, to facilitate
employment.
Shepherd, who was selected
as leader of the 2020 YOUNGA
UN Forum, received recognition
from the Office of the Prime
Minister via a Prime Minister’s
Youth Award for Excellence in
the category of Nation Building
in 2018, for her exceptional work
with Jamaican youth.
An inaugural Back to School
drive was staged in 2019 at the
Prime Minister’s Office Youths
for Excellence that included
guest speaker, then Minister
of Science and Technology for
Jamaica and current Honorary
YFE Back To School event at the Offi ce of the Prime Minister
(2019). Front row: Students from Cockburn Gardens
Primary School. Back row (left to right): Founder, JÐnine
Shepherd, then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology
and current Honorary Advisor on Education to Youths For
Excellence, Fayval Williams, MP and then CEO of the Digicel
Foundation, Karlene Dawson. Youths For Excellence
Advisor on Education to Youths
For Excellence, Fayval Williams,
MP.“
It was important to show
the children from Cockburn
Pen that they can be welcomed
by the government to the most
important offices in our country
and that the private sector and
their fellow citizens will support
and sponsor their development,”
said Shepherd.
Named Ambassador of “I
Believe” Initiative by the Governor
General of Jamaica, Shepherd
noted that the work of YFE
has not gone unnoticed by those
outside of public office, leaders
from the world of business and
education, all have lent their
support to the launch of the
organization.
Caribbean youths being
selected for YFE internship
SUMMER
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/www.youthsforexcel-lence.Caribbean
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/
/youthsforexcellence.org
