Youths For Excellence: Making Education Accessible for Underserved Children

Youths for Excellence is a registered charity and non-profit organization which is based in Kingston, Jamaica and currently caters to five Caribbean countries including Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Guyana. We assist the inner-city youths in both their education and family life so as to fill the gaps in education due to social inequalities and to introduce a holistic approach to education reform. Our main target groups are the underserved youths particularly, 4th-6th graders. We have assisted children in a variety of ways from offering tutors, free healthcare as well as food and school supplies to travel passes, lunch passes, tablets and resources for their parents to aid in employment (vocational training, workshops and so much more).

At the core of our organisation is the idea that a holistic approach to education reform is needed. The future demands that every child gets a whole systems approach to closing the gaps in education– families must be included in the system change.

YFE Inaugural Back to School Event (2019) (Location: Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica). Thirty-six (36) students (5 pictured) were presented with tablets courtesy of the Digicel Foundation. Pictured (left to right, back row: Founder, Board Co-Chair and President of YFE, Jénine Shepherd then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, The Honourable Fayval Williams, MP. and Former CEO of the Digicel Foundation, Karlene Dawson.

We have collaborated with the governments of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, etc. on projects that have sought to bring our students greater exposure to different fields and boost overall educational attainment, that has reached thousands of students across the Caribbean region.

However, the work we carry out is very costly. While we are grateful for the support of our corporate sponsors and government agencies, the scope of our work is very limited because of a lack of access to funding in the Caribbean for non-profits. We simply cannot help as many children in need as we would love to because the money doesn't exist. Help us provide holistic support for more children and their families by supporting our campaign. A donation goes a long way in helping these children forge new paths for their futures.

YFE Inaugural Back to School Event (2019) (Location: Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica). Thirty-six (36) students (5 pictured) were presented with 1-month supply of food from Seprod Foundation. Pictured (left to right, back row: Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, The Honourable Fayval Williams, MP.Founder, Board Co-Chair and President of YFE, Jénine Shepherd and CEO of the Seprod Foundation, Lisa D'oyen.

This organization was formed in 2015 by President and Board Co-Chair, Jénine Shepherd at the age of 17 years old, driven by her enthusiasm for educational reform in order to address the social and economic deprivation of young children in schools across Jamaica. Youths for Excellence has been applauded by the Prime Minister’s Office in Jamaica, having received the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Nation Building in 2018 and this support by the office continued by allowing us to host our inaugural “Back to School Event” there in 2019. The organization has amassed media recognition from Barbados Today, Trinidad and Tobago's "Morning Brew" and "Now Morning Show", Smile Jamaica, Jamaicans.com, Pure Jamaica Media, Our.Today, Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica Observer, Caribbean Life News, JIS, RJR and CVM. If you would like to read up more on us, you may visit our website at www.youthsforexcellence.org.

YFE Inaugural Back to School Event (2019) (Location: Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica). Thirty-six (36) students (1 pictured) were presented with two-month bus vouchers. Pictured (left to right, back row: Nathalia Palomino, Marketing and Sales Manager, Jamaica Urban Transit Company,Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, The Honourable Fayval Williams, MP. and Founder, Board Co-Chair and President of YFE, Jénine Shepherd.

Our most current event is "Math Chattingz" which is a collaboration with Ministries of Education in five Caribbean countries to highlight the applicability of mathematics across different industries. This forum continues for the entire month of May and you are invited to listen in to presentations by pre-eminent experts in the fields of Arts and Design, the Environment, Health, Tech and Engineering, and the Entertainment Industry. The event features Dr. The Honourable Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Denise Antonio, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative for Jamaica, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Jean Lowrie Chin, Chairperson of the Digicel Foundation (one of our sponsors) as speakers.

Description: Interview on Smile Jamaica on May 18, 2021 with Founder, Board Co-Chair and President, Jénine Shepherd

Other speakers have developed the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, have designed the new Jamaica Houses of Parliament, run the largest entertainment companies in the Caribbean and Africa and have highly disruptive tech startups in North America and the Caribbean and all of them are serving the same message:you need math in order to succeed! Tell a primary or secondary student to sign up for this free conference at https://youthsforexcellence.online/. Students have the chance to win tablets, phone cards and so much more just by participating.

Description: Interview on Smile Jamaica on May 18, 2021 with Founder, Board Co-Chair and President, Jénine Shepherd and Executive Intern, Deputy Head Girl at deCarteret College and Deputy Youth Mayor of Mandeville, Krisan Ennis.