Guyanese activist and founder of the ‘Guyana Animation Network,’ Jubilanté Cutting, has been named a finalist in the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Awards.
The awards recognise outstanding Commonwealth young people whose projects transform lives in their communities and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
GAN has raised awareness and advocated for youth opportunities and skills training in digital media, animation, and STEM subjects.
The programme has trained over 300 young people in ICT and entrepreneurship and supported critical online business marketing and digital skills training.
This year, the awards have expanded to include five regional categories: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, and the Pacific.
The top finalist from each region will be announced as the regional winner at the official awards ceremony on 10 March 2021. The ceremony will be held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of these five regional winners, one outstanding young person will become the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2021.
All 20 finalists will each receive a trophy, certificate, and £1,000 to expand the impact of their projects. Each regional winner will receive £3,000, and the overall Pan-Commonwealth winner will take home a total of £5,000.
Speaking ahead of the announcement, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said:
“Every day, in all parts of the Commonwealth, young people are delivering a vast range of impressive innovations. Much of what they do may go unnoticed or be taken for granted.”
She added, “Yet, often it is what young people do which makes all the difference, especially now at a time of unimaginable human suffering inflicted by the pandemic and economic crisis.
Last year, Environmental sustainability activist Lalita Gopaul was selected as a finalist.
