Malike Kellier committed to youth advocacy
Published:Saturday | February 26, 2022 | 12:05 AMKeisha Hil/Senior Gleaner Writer
Attorney-at-law Malike Kellier has been involved in a myriad of volunteer, community and youth development initiatives. His passion, dexterity, enthusiasm and ability to captivate the minds of young people has been of an unparalleled calibre that has created a space for youths to shine.
“I think from my earlier years, I appreciated that to find yourself, you must lose yourself in service to others. This has propelled my journey in youth advocacy. I am told ‘I just can’t sit down’ as I enjoy being busy or involved in making a worthwhile impact and helping young people like myself reach their fullest potential,” Kellier said.
“I am a firm believer that there is lots of space at the top, and as I evolve and rise, I can help others do the same. That means speaking up for those who cannot do it themselves or do not feel they are confident in doing the same, offering a listening ear to any problems and concerns and being their advocate and making recommendations to the relevant interest groups on their behalf,” he added.
Born and raised in Paradise Acres, in Montego Bay, St James, Kellier and his younger sister, Morganne, lived with his mother and grandmother. He said his mother and other family members ensured that they had a good foundation and impressed upon them the importance of doing well.
During his formative years, he rose to become head boy at one of Jamaica’s leading, all-boys secondary institutions, Cornwall College. Kellier then matriculated to The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, to pursue a bachelor of laws degree. While there, he was elected to serve as second-year class representative on the UWI Law Society and vice-president of membership in the UWI Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow (STAT) Vice Chancellor’s Ambassador Corps.
During his tenure, he represented UWI on ambassadorial island visits to Antigua, Anguilla and Dominica, sensitising youth on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), sexual and reproductive health rights and HIV/AIDS awareness issues.
Kellier has also previously served as a junior councillor and is currently an advisory board member for the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network. He was also a member of the Steering Committee of the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Youth Club, as well as youth parliamentarian for the year 2017/18 and speaker of the House in the Youth Parliament. He was also chairman of the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica, a former United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization youth volunteer and lead host on the TalkUp Yout radio show.
YOUTH LEADERS
As a member of the Caribbean Youth Leadership Summit delegation in 2018, Kellier worked with other youth leaders across the Caribbean that led to the creation of a position paper with recommendations to assist young people living with disabilities in Jamaica and the Commonwealth Caribbean region, which has been shared with CARICOM stakeholders and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.
“It is gratifying to see some of those recommendations reflected in the Disabilities Act and Regulations now in force,” Kellier said.
Kellier also worked as the national planning director for the I Believe Initiative Youth Consultative, which has allowed over 1,000 students annually to take part in this conference and engage in think-tank sessions with Sir Patrick Allen, governor-general of Jamaica, custodees and other stakeholders to share youth views and solutions on issues, namely mental health, climate change and human trafficking.
“In 2021, as chairman of the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica (YACJ), I presented submissions to the joint select committee of the Houses of Parliament on recommendations young people had on the National Identification bill after extensive focus group sessions were held with youth across Jamaica and represented those views to the committee,” Kellier said.
“Additionally, my council hosted a virtual forum in Youth Month 2020, which engaged over 300 young people online via empowerment sessions on financial literacy, mental health awareness and lead sensitisation campaigns on the National Youth Policy and the importance of Vision 2030 to youth clubs,” he said.
Kellier is now keen on supporting the work and initiatives of the Youth and Adolescent Policy Division within the Ministry of Education and Youth. “There is a mentorship programme currently on the books that I am keen on being a part of to assist future generations of youth leaders and pass on some of the lessons and life skills I have learnt from the many initiatives I have been part of,” he said.
As a recently commissioned justice of the peace for the parish of Kingston, Kellier wants to do more for young people in the parish, specifically with mediation as a form of dispute resolution. He also wants to assist with preparing the National Youth Parliamentarians annually in their preparation of speeches for the sitting during Youth Month.
“The 12th sitting of the National Youth Parliament held in January and the recommendations made have shown the quality of the level of advocacy that is being developed from the next generation of youth leaders,” he said.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Kellier has received numerous awards for academic excellence, school citizenship, performing arts and leadership. He is a Governor General’s Achievement awardee for the parish of St James in 2017 for excellence in leadership and academics. Subsequent to that, he was inducted as a Governor-General ‘I Believe’ Initiative ambassador. Most recently, he was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence 2021 in the category of national leadership.
“These awards have validated my efforts and have allowed me to share my passion for helping others and making a difference on a larger scale. It is most gratifying to know that people are encouraged by my story and journey and are empowered to want to make a difference by getting involved and implementing change in their own spaces,” Kellier said.