ELECTION PROCESS FOR MEMBERSHIP TO THE GJDYC

The members of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council (GJDYC) are elected to serve on a voluntary basis for a period of three years. Seven (7) members of the GJDYC are elected to serve from within the three major locations which contain the largest Jamaican Diaspora populations, namely: the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. An election process is carried out at the end of the three- year tenure in order to choose the candidates that will serve to carry out the overall impetus of the Youth Council- ‘engaging, connecting and empowering young Jamaicans around the world’.

The Election process for membership to the GJDYC is carried out by an independent electoral body that is commissioned by each of the sitting Youth Council Members. This process is carried out in consultation with the relevant Jamaican Overseas Mission(s) in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GJDYC

Persons wishing to become a member of the GJDYC must meet the following eligibility criteria listed below. If you are interested in joining the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council or the Global Jamaica Diaspora Youth Council as a Jamaican in the Diaspora, persons are encouraged to submit a: Nominators Declaration Form, a Nominee Consent Form and a Nominee Declaration Statement of Qualification Form.

All nominations will be reviewed by the designated electoral committee in each region. If the nomination of a candidate is accepted by the electoral committee, then the nominee will be allowed a period of time to campaign for their candidacy to the Youth Council.  The candidate that receives the most votes will be selected as the GJDYC representative for the region in which they reside. Please see the governance structure of the GJDYC under the Membership of the Youth Council tab for information on how the various regions are represented in the major Diaspora locations. 

Jamaicans within the Diaspora are encouraged to register to vote online from the list of candidates within the major diaspora location (United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada), who they believe are fit to represent the voice of the Diaspora. The list of candidates will be made available to the Diaspora at the end of a nomination period.

It is critical to ensure the election process provides a transparent, orderly, fair and systemized way to allow qualified members of the Jamaican Diaspora to offer themselves for service.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GLOBAL JAMAICA DIASPORA YOUTH COUNCIL

The 7 Regional Youth Council Leaders to be elected from within the United States, Canada or United Kingdom region must meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of nomination, election and at all times during their tenure:

a) Be Jamaican or of Jamaican descent;

b) Be at least 18 years old;

c) Have no criminal convictions pending or imposed on him/her by any court;

d) Have never been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt by any court or financial institution;

e) Have no pending litigation proceedings against him/her;

f) Be resident in the respective Diaspora location;

g) Have a minimum residence permit of three years at the start of term;

h) Have expressed indication of intention to commit to and stay within the region for the tenure of leadership and the subsequent time period to facilitate the handing over process;

i) Have been registered by the Governance and Election Committee to be a candidate for elections;

j) Have not been medically certified as a person of unsound mind;

k) Possess a reasonable level of demonstrated management and leadership skills or experience;

l) Have no disciplinary proceedings or sanctions pending or imposed by a professional or administrative body;

m) Have a willingness to commit and has sufficient time to discharge his or her duties to the Council; and

n) Have no perceived or actual conflict of interest (i) upon nomination or election or (ii) during the term, which has not been addressed in accordance with Part E Paragraph 4 (Conflict of Interest) of the GJDYC Terms of Reference.