LONDON, England (JIS) : Jamaican TIJANI CHRISTIAN to receive Queen’s award at Buckinghams' Palace....He will follow in the footsteps of fellow Jamaicans Jerome Cowans and Nicole Nation who is a 3-time PALAS recipient

CHRISTIAN...to receive Queen’s Young Leaders Award
in 2016

Sunday, December 20, 2015    

LONDON, England (JIS) — Tijani Christian is among 60 young people from across the Commonwealth being recognised as exceptional leaders in their communities and who will receive the prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award in the summer of 2016.

He will follow in the footsteps of fellow Jamaicans Jerome Cowans and Nicole Nation who were presented with the award earlier this year. Nicole Nation is a 3-time Peace and Love Academic Scholarship (PALAS, Inc.) recipient.

Christian is currently serving as a Jamaica Youth Ambassador - Commonwealth, and has among his litany of achievements, the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in the category of Leadership for 2013.

He is pioneering an initiative called Plant Jamaica, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which promotes sustainable livelihoods through community farms. The NGO was formed to encourage people to grow healthy produce for their families, as well as to keep their communities clean and tidy. Christian is also trying to launch a project called Commonwealth Emerging Leaders Connect, which will bring young leaders from across the Commonwealth together to share knowledge and ideas. 

The Queen’s Young Leaders Award, which will be presented in London by Her Majesty The Queen, is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme and celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and to make a lasting difference in their communities.

This year’s awardees, aged 18 to 29, are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of issues including education, climate change, gender equality, mental health and disability equality.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society, and in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth. As part of the award, winners will receive bespoke mentoring and online learning provided by the University of Cambridge. They will attend a week-long residential programme in the UK in June, when they will receive the award at Buckingham Palace.

Other Caribbean young achievers receiving awards are Regis Burton of Antigua and Barbuda; Shamelle Rice and Firhaana Bulbulia, Barbados; Deidra Smith, Belize; Tina Alfred, Dominica; Ali Dowden, Grenada; Trevis Belle, St Kitts-Nevis; Tevin Shepherd, St Lucia; and Dillon Ollivierre, St Vincent and the Grenadines.