Time to nominate young people to be proud of

(CNS): Nominations for the annual 2024 Proud of Them Youth Recognition Awards are now open and will close on Friday, 6 September. Anyone can submit nominations for young Caymanians who have excelled across the variety of nomination categories, which include Academics, Sports, Community Service, Business, Career and Culture. Self-nominations are also accepted.

The Proud of Them Awards Gala will be hosted in November and broadcast on the CIG YouTube channel. At the event, this year’s 15 honorees will be announced. Past honourees include Olympians, successful business owners, internationally recognised performance artists, service organisation leaders, and technology innovators.

Over the eleven years since the programme was launched, it has highlighted around 160 young people between the ages of 10 and 25 who have been featured on billboards around Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Last year, the programme underwent significant enhancements, including a new rebranded colour scheme, updates to the scoring protocol, an online form, and the introduction of a new category to acknowledge two Rising Stars.

Youth Minister Isaac Rankine said, “Building on these recognition measures is a key tool for uplifting our youth. This is a government-led initiative to show them that their hard work has made an impact on our community. It has not gone unnoticed because they are inspiring the action and momentum we need to secure the future of our islands.”

In 2023, the programme received its first private sponsorships from Greenlight RE and the CICSA Co-operative Credit Union, along with other private sector sponsors for the awarding categories.

Interested sponsors or members of the public seeking more information can contact the Youth Services Unit at info.ysu@gov.ky.

See here for more information and to make a nomination.