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Diaspora Award Winner Gives Back to Schools

By: , June 19, 2019

The Key Point:

The 2019 recipient of the Governor General’s Achievement Award for the Diaspora in Canada, Paul Barnett, is inviting Jamaicans living in Canada to register their schools with the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations (Toronto).
Diaspora Award Winner Gives Back to Schools
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Paul Barnett, 2019 recipient of the Governor General’s Achievement Award for the Diaspora in Canada.

The Facts

  • The Association is comprised of 52 alumni organisations, working as a joint charitable body for the schools in Jamaica.
  • Mr. Barnett, who moved to Canada 52 years ago, after completing studies at Ardenne High School, was one of the founding members of the Ardenne Alumni Association, and later, in 1992, a part of the team to form the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations (Toronto).

The Full Story

The 2019 recipient of the Governor General’s Achievement Award for the Diaspora in Canada, Paul Barnett, is inviting Jamaicans living in Canada to register their schools with the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations (Toronto).

The Association is comprised of 52 alumni organisations, working as a joint charitable body for the schools in Jamaica.

Mr. Barnett, who moved to Canada 52 years ago, after completing studies at Ardenne High School, was one of the founding members of the Ardenne Alumni Association, and later, in 1992, a part of the team to form the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations (Toronto).

He was one of four persons to receive the Governor-General’s Achievement Award for the Diaspora at the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on July 17.

Mr. Barnett told JIS News that the alumni associations within the alliance work together, indicating that “a company will call us and say we have 300 computers, we then send out a note to see what schools are looking for computers, which we divide amongst the schools”.

Another initiative the award recipient is integrally involved in is a mentorship programme whereby the organisation takes students to the Emerging Global Leaders Jamaica (EGLJ) programme, which he established in 2013. He later set up EGLJ clubs in various high schools across Jamaica.

He is encouraging other members of the Jamaican Diaspora to help in any way possible. “When I see the potential and the need, and what comes out of Jamaica I am inspired,” he added.

Mr. Barnett serves on numerous Boards, and has now been appointed by the Ontario Government to serve on the Safety and Correctional Services Boards.

He is also the recipient of several awards, including the Volunteer Award from the Government of Ontario, the Outstanding Jamaican in Canada Award, and the Jamaican Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation.

Last Updated: June 19, 2019

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