Our young person of the month is Jameson Pierre-Louis. He is a digital law specialist currently pursuing a second master’s degree in International and European Human Rights Law at the Nantes University in France.
Read his amazing story below and be inspired.
JAMESON PIERRE-LOUIS
Jameson Pierre-Louis has been working with the Central Bank of Haiti and Hult Prize Foundation. He has also served as a mentor in an international digital rights exchange program organized by Digital Grassroot and Open Internet for Democracy Initiative and was among panelists of the Colloque international de la Francophonie numerique where he presented his paper on the impact of digital technologies on the Francophone community and how the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) can help developing countries build cyber capacity and cyber norms. His work and research focused on the intersection of human rights and information and communication technology (ICT), the use of electronic evidence in criminal procedure in Haiti, Cyber diplomacy and Cyber security law.
On How He Began
Since his tender youth, Jameson’s purpose has always been to become a highly qualified professional. People knew him as a young boy who liked to argue and read. While he was growing, he became aware of his vulnerable background and more aware of the fact that people can look at others differently depending on their origin. In a country where youths have to face systemic challenges to succeed and the government is reluctant to take actions to create a conducive environment to help, it is up to the young people to discover and exploit their full potential. He knew the absence of opportunities in his environment could pose serious threats to his future and hinder his efforts. So he started to rely on the internet to find resources and opportunities.
Jameson said that witnessing so many people suffer strengthened his resolve to become a leader and changemaker in his community. He recognized early the very important role played by activism in society. Indeed, activists are watchdogs that raise awareness on social issues and can influence decision makers and people in power who are responsible for implementing the sustainable changes can only be created through institutional decisions. Jameson also plans to occupy a leadership role that will enable him take decisions rather than being only an advocate. He is also convinced that he can make impact through his field of expertise by promoting inclusive regulation of ICT to make them serve the public good.
On His Successes
In 2019, Jameson became a campus director for Hult Prize Foundation and in the same year he was selected as one of two-top winner of LJD Week 2019 Law Student Contest for Development Solutions organized by the World Bank. In 2020, he was among the first cohort of Haiti digital career accelerator sponsored by Global Start up Ecosystem and Haiti Tech Summit. In 2021, he become an alumnus at the Aspire Leaders program founded at Harvard University.
In 2022, he was awarded a scholarship by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) to start his master degree in international human rights. The same year, he has been selected to speak as one of the French specialists at the international symposium on the impact of technologies within the French community. Additionally, inspired by the impact online opportunities have made on his professional and academic goals, he has written a book on the strategies to find opportunities on the internet. This book will be published in April 2023.
On His Challenges and Future Plans
Challenges are part of young people’s daily experiences throughout the world. We have to face systemic obstacles and in Jameson’s case, sometimes personal opposition from elders especially in his country. He admits to having failed many times and trying many options before finding his way. For instance, he lost two years after college before being able to enter the university. But he has never given up and doesn’t intend to ever do so. These challenges and the opportunities that he has found gives him a sense of purpose to impact the lives of others and to make change happen. Jameson also intends to start his own organisation soon in order to help most young people effectively navigate most challenges they will encounter along the way.
His Words of Advice For The Youth
There is greatness in perseverance, passion and hard work. Whatever your trouble, please don’t give up. What you call difficulty today is your testimony that obstacles can be overcome. The World needs you to stay motivated. Keep going!
Connect with Jameson on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out his personal blog here.
Who will be the next Young Person of the Month?
You can be the next Opportunity Desk Young Person of the Month! All you have to do is get a friend to recommend your work or fill out the nomination form here. We want to use the platform to recognize and celebrate the efforts of amazing young people around the world. Oh! And you must be an active Opportunity Desk member, either as a fan, reader, or subscriber! Share!
