GoodHeart | Daniela Woodbine opens new chapters for youth

Daniela Woodbine’s life has been shaped by a deep belief in the potential of others, a value instilled in her by her mother. Growing up, Woodbine watched her mother raise four children on a modest salary while still finding the means to provide meals for elderly neighbours in their community every weekend. That example of generosity continues to guide Woodbine today and is at the heart of Chapter to Chapter, an educational initiative that has earned her a place among the four finalists in the 2026 Supreme Hero competition.

Chapter to Chapter Tutoring Services was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Woodbine balanced law school and a call centre job in Kingston, and eventually found its true home in her native Savanna-la-Mar.

“I literally woke up one morning from a dream, and God gave me the name Chapter to Chapter and basically gave me the vision to start the business,” Woodbine shared with GoodHeart. Recognising that many high-school graduates in Westmoreland were stepping into the adult world completely unprepared, without crucial life skills, financial literacy or basic identification, she expanded her tutoring programme to include life readiness and career guidance.

In one of her most transformative exercises, Woodbine organised professional headshots for her students, rearranging her own budget to buy them proper executive attire. Seeing themselves dressed as professionals, she explained, “really shifted their mindset and it really helped them to be like ‘I am much more than where I’m from. I can put on these clothes. I can feel as though I belong and deserve to be in any room if I choose to be in that room’.”

This unyielding belief in youth is best captured in the story of a young man who came to Woodbine’s programme after being expelled from school. Instead of turning him away, she sat down with him and wrote out a life “prescription”, mapping out a plan to complete his academic classes while securing him an apprenticeship with a local welder. The once-shy teen blossomed so beautifully that he proudly delivered the vote of thanks on the final day of their workshop. “I can see so much greatness and potential in you, and you just need someone to work with you and give you the opportunities you need,” Woodbine told him.

Her passion for development extends to 30 primary school students whom she supports with free reading classes and back-to-school supplies. Beyond education, she has orchestrated large-scale community relief efforts following Hurricane Melissa, distributing care packages, food and sanitary items to families who lost their livelihoods.

It is this tireless dedication to her community that earned Woodbine recognition from the Supreme Ventures Foundation. As a Supreme Hero finalist, she received a grant and a laptop, which she used to run an intensive five-day developmental workshop. While she was deeply appreciative of the tangible gifts, the true emotional impact washed over her on the workshop’s final day.

“I’ll be very honest that when it really connected, how impactful, how grateful I was to Supreme Ventures was on the last day of my event,” Woodbine recalled. “I literally cried to my kids because it felt as if I was graduating ... seeing the potential in the room and getting to know each one of them, knowing their stories and seeing how much they had grown in just the five days.”

Looking ahead, Woodbine knows exactly what she would do with the Supreme Hero grant. Her dream is to expand these horizons even further, funding skills training, organising public speaking sessions and taking her students on educational trips across Jamaica.

Alternatively, she aims to launch a skills-to-income initiative to empower adults in Savanna-la-Mar with vocational training and business development support. Members of the public can help turn that vision into reality by voting for Woodbine at sv-foundation.com to win the official title of Supreme Community Hero 2026. Voting ends on November 27.

“I’ve always said that human resources are the most important resource to any country,” Woodbine stated. “If I can be able to invest in our people in a way where they’re educated or they’re trained or they’re given the skills or the start that they just need to be better, then that is enough to even cause a ripple effect even in Jamaica.”

goodheart@gleanerjm.com