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Opportunity For Young Caribbean Nationals To Create Regional Change With Youths For Excellence4
YFE Back To School Event at the Office of the Prime Minister (2019). Front row: Students from Cockburn Gardens Primary School. Back row (left to right): Founder, Jénine Shepherd, Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology and Current Honorary Advisor on Education to Youths For Excellence, The Honourable Fayval Williams, MP. and Then CEO of the Digicel Foundation, Karlene Dawson

Opportunity For Young Caribbean Nationals To Create Regional Change With Youths For Excellence

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Youths For Excellence (YFE), a registered charity for the holistic development of underserved youth, has launched an internship programme. Applications opened on Monday, March 1, 2021. Nine exceptional students will be selected from high schools and universities across the Caribbean and given a rare opportunity to lead regional change. They will work alongside the executive board of YFE, the Advisory Board and Board of Directors that are composed of current and former Ministers of Government across several nations, heads of multinational corporations, founders of foundations and renowned policy researchers. This gives Caribbean students an immersive experience in the world of policy advocacy and non-profit governance. The application is open to all Caribbean nationals and is accessible on the charity’s website: www.youthsforexcellence.org .

Opportunity For Young Caribbean Nationals To Create Regional Change With Youths For Excellence1
YFE Sponsors Appreciation Banquet (2018). Founder Jénine Shepherd presents then Jamaican Minister of State in Education, Youth and Information, The Honourable Floyd Green, MP., a token of appreciation for his role as Guest Speaker.
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YFE volunteers and Founder, Jénine Shepherd, pose with the Principal of Cockburn Gardens Primary School, Ms. Patricia Findley (2015).

Youths For Excellence was founded in 2015 by Board Chair and President Jénine Shepherd. She recognised 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 Jénine. Since its inception, YFE has championed a holistic method of educational intervention. The organisation has assisted children to receive not only textbooks, but also tablets, health checkups, bus passes, grocery vouchers and resources for their parents, to facilitate employment.

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YFE team packaging school supplies for students at Cockburn Gardens Primary

For her work with YFE, Founder Jénine Shepherd 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. Youths for Excellence’s inaugural Back to School drive was staged in 2019 at the Prime Minister’s Office. The Guest Speaker was then Minister of Science and Technology for Jamaica and current Honorary Advisor on Education to Youths For Excellence, The Honourable 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” says Jénine.

The work of YFE has not gone unnoticed by those outside of public office, leaders from the worlds of business and education have also lent their support to the launch of this organisation.YFE boasts an impressive lineup of 24 corporate and government sponsors, Digicel, JUTC, GraceKennedy and Seprod amongst them.

Opportunity For Young Caribbean Nationals To Create Regional Change With Youths For Excellence4
YFE Back To School Event at the Office of the Prime Minister (2019). Front row: Students from Cockburn Gardens Primary School. Back row (left to right): Founder, Jénine Shepherd, Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology and Current Honorary Advisor on Education to Youths For Excellence, The Honourable Fayval Williams, MP. and Then CEO of the Digicel Foundation, Karlene Dawson

Thara Johnson-Reid, Director of Communications for YFE, said “As a diasporan with strong ties to Jamaica, I’m excited to see the impact our interventions will make. This internship gives local students access to a group of luminaries across sectors, and helps to bridge the gaps in their experience as they enter tertiary education and the workforce”.

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YFE Founder Jénine Shepherd is given a tour of the Grants Pen Community in Jamaica by residents

The majority of the work done 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/.

Applications will close on Friday, March 5, 2021 at 11:59 PM GMT-5. Applicants will need to submit a resume or CV and answer supplementary questions about their motivations for the programme. They can contact [email protected]youthsforexcellence.org with any questions they may have.

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