Jamaican Aubrey Stewart of Montego Bay has been named as one of the winners of the final Queen’s Young Leaders Award. He is a former junior mayor of Montego Bay and introduced the United States President Barack Obama during his 2015 visit to Jamaica. Stewart is a project development and strategic management consultant. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Leadership, Strategy and Management from the University of the West Indies, Mona.
The Queen’s Young Leaders program, which is in its fourth and final year of operation, recognizes young individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 from throughout the Commonwealth nations for their work designed to improve conditions of life for people on a range of issues, including mental health, getting a quality education, and promoting gender equality. The program’s partner, The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, noted that Stewart, who is the founder of the Youth Organization for Upliftment, was selected for his work in supporting and motivating young people to make positive changes to their lives and the lives of others in the community and the world.
Stewart will travel to London with the other winners to receive the award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2018. The 2017 winners will join a group of 240 award winners who comprise a unique group of people committed to making positive changes in the world.
Stewart, 24, expressed his pride at being selected a Queen’s Young Leader for Jamaica, saying it was an honor to work with so many young people across the island. Stewart is looking forward to even better things in the future, with many more people reached and motivated. He is also looking forward to meeting the other award winners and learning of their achievements.
According to Dr. Astrid Bonfield, the chief executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, the group of winners in the final year of the program are outstanding individuals who are leading the way to transform people’s lives throughout the Commonwealth. She congratulated the winners on their “remarkable achievements” and noted that during the coming year, they will have the opportunity to nurture and develop their talents so they can make even further progress in their communities.
The Queen’s Young Leaders program was created in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust together with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society, and the Institute of Continuing Education at Cambridge University. It was developed to recognize Queen Elizabeth’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.
Information and Photo Source: Aubrey Stewart, The Queen’s Young Leaders website
