Anabelle Camille Jones living her dream

Anabelle Camille Jones is a director of health services policy coordination in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“From as early as 12 years old, my dream has always been to give back to Jamaica in some form or capacity, although it wasn’t immediately clear to me the venue I would use to do this. At one point, I thought I would do this through scientific research. However, at about 18 or 19, it became clearer to me that policy development was the best way to do this, as good policy makes robust laws,” Jones told The Gleaner.As a director, she plays “a critical role in project, policy and programme coordination and management in accordance with the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ strategic objectives”.

And, on the evening of Saturday, February 4, on the lawns of Jamaica House in St Andrew, she received The Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence in national leadership.

She was appointed to the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica in 2019. From then until 2020, she served as the policy and advocacy director. And, from 2020-2021, she was deputy chairman to the Advisory Council of Jamaica. As a member of that council, she played an essential role in the development of the “popular version” of the National Youth Policy(2017-2030). The job included making a presentation to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament, having been tasked with reviewing the National Identification and Registration Bill.

Jones’ professional achievements include the development of a policy manual for e-Gov Jamaica Limited and contributions made to the Community Renewal Programme at the Planning Institute of Jamaica. In 2020, she was selected to be a Jamaica House Fellow for 2020-2022. During this period, she was assigned to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, specifically the Office of the Permanent Secretary, and then to the Policy, Planning and Development division of the ministry.

“... As a Jamaica House fellow, I played an integral role in obtaining Cabinet’s approval of a National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy, technical coordination of the St Thomas Teen Hub, among other things,” she shared.

It has also been a life of academic excellence for the Kingston-born who attended Immaculate Conception High School. She holds a BSc in chemistry from the University of Alberta, in Canada, and an MSc in public policy and management from the University of London. She was awarded an international student scholarship and the University of Alberta Maple Leaf First Year Excellence Scholarship.

At the University of Alberta, she was co-facilitator of International House, for which involvement she received a Global Leadership Award in 2018, “for facilitating an inclusive environment that influences the thinking, attitudes, and behaviours of a global community to work together synergistically towards a common vision and common goal.”

She was also a member of the Student Union Building Advisory Committee, on which she was “instrumental in advocating for the needs of students at the university, which included, inter alia, the need for greater mental health support, and the need for healthier food options on campus”. And, with all those achievements and experience, she aspires to be a minister of government with responsibility for either science and technology or health.

And, how does she feel about her latest achievement?“To me, it feels surreal. It is truly an honour to be given the highest national award a young person can be given under the age of 30. I am grateful to God and for all the positive role models who have encouraged me along this journey. Additionally, this award will serve to motivate me even more to continue contributing to the development of my country in whatever capacity I can,” she said.