Young Jamaican appointed new honorary advisor for NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY

Jénine Shepherd, 26, has been invited to become an honorary advisor of the New York-based NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Inc. She joins their long list of Honorary Advisors.

This appointment comes off the heels of Shepherd’s attendance at the United Nations Summit of the Future during the UN79th General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York in September. The purpose of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY is to monitor, educate, support and influence the implementation of the commitments and agreements adopted by the United Nations that pertain to sustainable development as defined by the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the MDGs, the SDGs, the Paris Agreement on Climate Action, Rio+20 and Post-2015 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Agenda. The NGOCSD-NY has Special Consultative Status with the UN Council of Economic and Social Affairs and Association with the UN Department of Global Communications.

“We are excited to continue our impact in the Caribbean and have seen the work that Jénine has been able to accomplish at such a young age. We believe that having her join us would be very beneficial as we look to collaborate together in scaling up our positive impact in communities to leave no one behind,” said Margo LaZaro, president and chair of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Inc.

“I’m looking forward to highlighting our region that is often overlooked. We have so much untapped potential and I intend to focus resources towards my people,” said Shepherd, adding she is looking forward to make meaningful contributions.

Shepherd, who is a passionate change-maker, brings over 12 years of experience in growing and scaling companies in the Caribbean region, having founded Youths for Excellence Limited when she was 17 years old and expanding it to eight countries. She has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and economics from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

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Her non-profit organisation has assisted over 12,000 children across the region to gain access to crucial resources for their educational achievement by providing healthcare, nutrition, educational content and assistance with transportation and also supporting their families with opportunities for skills development and job placement. She has done this via partnerships with numerous government agencies and over 30 of the largest corporate conglomerates across the region.

PM YOUTH AWARD

Her NGO work has earned her the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Nation Building in 2018, a spot on the Caribbean 30 Under 30 listing by Ignite Caribbean in 2021, The Diana Award from Princess Diana’s Estate in 2021, The Outstanding Leadership and Citizenship Award from the UK-based Roy Anthony Reid Foundation in 2022, The Anthem Award for Best Young Person in Education, Art and Culture, alongside other awardees like Michelle Obama’s ‘When We All Vote’ Foundation, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, Oprah Winfrey’s Foundation and UNICEF, in 2023 and the Outstanding Leadership in Education Award from the Education 2.0 Conference, alongside Ivy League educators and members of US state boards, that took place in Las Vegas in March. Shepherd received special congratulations from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Outside of her work with Youths For Excellence, Shepherd, serves as the president of New York-based Jamaican American Youth Alliance (JAYA), that has supported over 30,000 young Jamaican diasporans in the US through their advocacy, networking and mentorship opportunities. JAYA collaborated with several diaspora organisations and the Embassy of Jamaica in Brussels, Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise funds for repatriation flights and accommodations of Jamaicans stranded overseas, as well as PPE and other well needed medical supplies.

She has contributed significantly to policy development, having served as part of the core group that drafted the policy framework for the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council. Through this proposal, she is aiming that 3.5 million Jamaicans diaspora are heard on issues of cultural estrangement, how they can get involved in policy making, and how they can contribute to businesses, education, national security, and other matters relating to restoring confidence in Jamaica for Vision 2030. She has served as a Consultant to the United Nations Development Programme since 2020, where she advises on strategic programming targeting youth poverty across Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Belize, Bermuda, The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. She has consulted for the World Bank Group as well as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management in Jamaica.