Welcome to August!
Our Young Person of the Month is Monique Lynch from Jamaica! Monique Lynch is the Founder of Chosen Stars Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides psycho social educational services to the community of Seaview Gardens in Jamaica. She also serves as the Community Outreach Officer for the Jamaica Climate Change Youth Council and as an extended committee member of the Caribbean Regional Youth Council.
Monique Lynch holds a Master of Science in Counselling and Social Work from Mico University College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Statistics from University of the West Indies and a Diploma in Project and Operations Management. She has also done several certificate courses including Psychological First Aid, and Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health. Presently, Monique Lynch is pursuing her post-graduate certificate in Transnational Leadership under the SDGs.
Read her story below and be inspired!
MONIQUE LYNCH
Monique Lynch is a Youth Ambassador, Author, Research and Business Analyst, Philanthropist, Social Practitioner and an entrepreneur. She has founded an organization, Chosen Stars Foundation which provides educational services to the Community of Seaview Gardens in Jamaica. Monique describes herself as a woman of God whose life philosophy is ‘quality is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention, sincere efforts, intelligent direction and skillful execution.
The training Monique received when she was 11 years and as a junior leader in the Boys and Girls Scout Troop imparted a strong value system which influenced her work in community development. Her leadership skills, along with the professional experiences she gained from several organization in Jamaica pushed her to start a non-profit organization, Chosen Stars Foundation in January 2016. The foundation provides psycho-social-educational services to the community of Seaview Gardens. Since its inception, the foundation has held 18 events in their community. Their most recent event empowered 25 young persons and equipped them with skills of commercial food preparation.
Opportunities which came her way
Through her work, Monique Lynch has taken part in several projects which saw sustained development in areas of education, volunteerism and health initiatives. She has volunteered with the National Youth Service (NYS) for over 13 years and was awarded Youth Ambassador for the parish of St. Catherine by the National Youth Service and Ministry of Youth and Culture in 2015.
She was later selected and trained as one of the youngest youth mentors in the NYS Enrichment Program in January 2016. In December 2017, Monique Lynch was awarded the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence for Commendable work in youth service. Monique has recently been appointed as Chief Administrator for the Jamaican Youth Ambassadors to CARICOM Secretariat. She presently serves in the Extended Committee for Members and Partnerships of Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC).
Her Insights to the youth
My advice for young people who intend to do impactful work within their communities is to prepare to develop positive values, attitudes and core principles and morals in youth and the wider society. This will be the foundation for better community in years to come. It will not be easy, but if you truly love serving and volunteering, resilience, being focused and creative, will guide and motivate you to overcome any obstacle. Let your goal be simple. You must plan to be the best that you can be. This way, you will help other persons to be the best they can be.
You can connect with Monique Lynch on Facebook and Instagram!
Learn more about her organization, Chosen Stars Foundation.
——————————————————————————————————————————
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. O! And you must be an active Opportunity Desk member, either as a fan, reader or subscriber!
Don’t miss any updates in the future.
Join Opportunity Desk on 143k+ Facebook , 20.1k+ Twitter, 4.4k+ Instagram , 68k+ Group or join 44.5k+ Subscribers via Email below!
