Andre Cowan motivating youth to achieve excellence in Tawes Meadows

SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine:Andre Cowan believes a collaborative effort
between all stakeholders can change the stigma attached to Tawes
Meadows, formerly Tawes Pen in Spanish Town, St Catherine, where he has
lived all his life.

Besides, the 21-year-old said he has never been
daunted by sporadic outbreaks of violence which disrupted his community
in the past.

"It has never impacted me negatively. It really
struck a chord in me that maybe, one day, I could do something to make
my community better," he said.

"One of the best things for me so
far," he added, "is my instrumentality in the formation of Tawes Meadows
Young Leaders in Action (TMYLA). Right now, we have a lot of young
members with the same vision and ambition to wipe out the stigma
attached and put the community on the right path," André, TMYLA's
president, told The Gleaner.

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SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine:ST CATHERINE High School graduate André Cowan's leadership experience - as president of the Debating Society and a senior block prefect - is serving him well as leader of the Tawes Meadows Young Leaders in Action (TMYLA) in Spanish Town.

"We encourage young people to become active in the community, to develop the community and themselves, so our activities range from CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate), GSAT (Grade Six Achievement Test) and homework classes," André explained. "We also have beautification projects and we work closely with CSJP (Citizens Security and Justice Programme) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund."

In fact, for many, the ambitious, self-motivated, articulate, young Jamaican has been a source of inspiration.

"For most of the members in the youth club, he is our inspiration. If most young people try to follow André, the world would be a better place," says David Nelson, an 18-year-old upper-sixth form St Jago High School student and club member.

Another member, 19-year-old Joel Douglas, shares similar sentiments.

"André is a very nice guy. He loves to help young people. He is a motivator," says Joel, who aspires to become a dance choreographer and is pursuing studies at the University of Technology.

Inspiring youth

Moreover, 16-year-old Akeem Chisholm credits André with his success in the GSAT.

"He motivated me so that I pass for Jonathan Grant High School. When I met him, I wasn't doing well in my schoolwork and he inspired me," Akeem, TPYLA's assistant public relations officer, told The Gleaner. "He still influences me because I want to be like him, because he has achieved and he's ahead of us."

Like his friends, André's mother, Sharon Simmonds, an office attendant at Sagicor, is pleased with his achievements so far, and believes her son is on a path to achieve greater success.

"I'm very proud of his accomplishments and I have a lot of faith in him. I am looking forward to a lot more from him, as I know he has the potential and the heart to achieve his goals," she said.

André, who has attained Level One of the three levels in the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants course, is currently an acting assistant auditor at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, a position he has held since May of this year. His sojourn at the ministry began in September 2009 as audit clerk.

He is a second-year part-time student at the University of the West Indies, where is reading for a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, minoring in statistics, in pursuit of his career goal.

"I'd think that I have failed in this life if I don't become the governor of the Bank of Jamaica," he oozed with confidence.

rural@gleanerjm.com

André's high-school achievements

André Cowan obtained six Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate passes in 2007. In 2008, he gained four passes in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination Unit One - grade two in economics, accounting and communications studies, and grade four in management of business.

In 2009, in Unit Two, the optimist obtained grade one in economics, and was ranked fifth in Jamaica in the subject that year. He also obtained grade one in accounting, grade two in Caribbean studies and grade three in management of business. He was the top student in economics at St Catherine High in 2009.