Jarius Andrew Greaves’ story is neither one of an
absolute privilege nor one who was born with a “silver spoon”. It is one of
sacrifice and gratitude: The sacrifices of his parents, fore-parents, and the
many selfless mentors and fellow youth leaders who have believed in him and
continual to support his vision of breeding a new generation of leaders,
especially after Liberia’s 14 years of
civil unrest. In an effort to give back to his community, country and the world
at large, he lives each day in the mindfulness of a liability that can only be
repaid by helping others - whenever, and wherever possible. His dream is to
impact his peers, his community and nations. He envisions breeding a new
generation of civic-minded and service-oriented leaders, and thankfully, he’s
surrounded by some passionate and supportive mentors, and hardworking youth
workers who are committed to making this a reality. So here's an advice from
Andrew: Don't boast of being "self-made" – because we all need other
leaders to believe in us.
Andrew currently serves as Youth Representative of
the Liberian Ministry of Health, and Heads the newly established Adolescent and
Youth Unit within the Family Health Division at the Ministry of Health.
Andrew is an International
Youth Development Activist and a Certified African Youth Activist for “Grass-roots”
campaigns and drives in Africa with over 10 years of experience in youth and
local community development, social entrepreneurship, grassroots campaigns and
peace education. Andrew is a U.S. Department of State’s GIST Program Alumnus
and lead organizer of the GIST Techconnect in Liberia. He aspires to complete a
graduate degree in Youth Development and Entrepreneurship.
Despite being a civil war victim, it didn’t let the
challenges quench his thirst to make a change; instead, they propelled him to
dream for better opportunities, and defined in him the true meaning and the
purpose of life—to look beyond his own needs to see other people’s needs. Thus,
he led, established and registered Youth Network for Reform (YONER) in
2008. To date; YONER has directly
impacted the lives of over 30,000 fellow youth and children through partnership
with communities to provide local scholarships to deserving students, conduct
training, and engage in advocacy and other community services including waste
management and business networking, admitted as member of the Ministry of Youth
& Sports’ Youth Coordination Committee and African Youth NGOs Network, and
an implementing partner to Mandela Washington Fellowship-Liberia. YONER-LIBERIA is headquartered in Paynesville
City and has two active Clubs in J.J. Y. Community (Gardnerville) and Freetown
Community (Browerville.
In the eight short years since its founding,
YONER-LIBERIA has been able to build partnership with more than 20 local youth
NGOs across country and more than 5 public institutions complementing its
initiatives to continue playing a major role in the peace-building and
sustainable development process in Liberia; a country with too many
unproductive, unsupervised youths through valuable structured programs.
YONER-LIBERIA has achieved these through voluntary community service, local
scholarships, and entrepreneurial/start-ups training; inter-community peace and
reconciliation sports tournaments and dialogues to engage and empower young
people to promote positive values, healthy habits, and education – resulting in
real life power.
To his credit, he holds an Associate Degree in
Management and a Senior Student majoring in Business Administration at the
Stella Maris Polytechnic in Liberia.
Because of the several innovative programs he has
initiated or supported to buttress government’s and development partners’
efforts in strengthening the various sectors around the country, he has gained
recognition and support from several national and international Institutions
including the United Nations Mission in Liberia and Ministries of Education,
Health and Youth.
He currently serves as advisor to
several national and regional youth organizations in Liberia and around Africa.
He has headed Liberian youth delegations at various youth events in more than
15 countries around Africa and in Asia.
In April 2016, he was rated by the
United States Department of State’s Global innovation through Science and
Technology Program as one of the top 32 emerging entrepreneurs selected from a
pool of more than 600 applicants from across Africa with the best innovation
and attend the GIST Bootcamp in South Africa and received Certificate of
Registration from the International Panel of Ignite The Youth as one of the 34
Young African Leaders for “Grass-roots” campaigns and drives in Africa.
In 2016 and 2015, he emerged as
semi-finalist in the U.S. Department of State’s Community Solution Program,
featured in WYA -2015 Annual Report as Outstanding Member and Africa’s Leading
Voice and won a Global Youth Leader Icon award in India as a result of a paper
he presented as an International Speaker.
In 2014 he was selected as a member of 52 Emerging
Leaders from within the Atlantic Basin by the German Marshall Fund of the
United States, and also emerged as Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young
Africa Leaders Initiative Semi-Finalist.
He has also
participated in several regional and international youth conferences in more
than 10 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, including the most recent; US
Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology Bootcamp
in Johannesburg, South Africa-2016, 26th AU Heads of State and Governments’
Summit-2016 and African Union Agenda 2063 Youth Consultation Summit -2015. He has also attended the 2nd African Youth
Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in Maputo, Mozambique-2015; the
International Youth NGOs Summit (IYONS-2015) in Chennai, India; and the German
Marshall Fund of the United States’ Third Edition of the Atlantic Dialogues
Emerging Leaders Program in Marrakesh, Morocco-2014. He attended the World
Youth Alliance Africa 3rd and 4th Africa Emerging Leaders Conferences in Nairobi,
Kenya.
Andrew is a Liberian, and hailed from Buchanan,
Grand Bassa County. Present, he lives in Paynesville City, Liberia.
Jarius
Andrew Greaves’ story is neither one of an absolute privilege nor one who was
born with a “silver spoon”. It is one of sacrifice and gratitude: The
sacrifices of his parents, fore-parents, and the many selfless mentors and
fellow youth leaders who have believed in him and continual to support his
vision of breeding a new generation of leaders, especially after Liberia’s 14 years of civil unrest. In
an effort to give back to his community, country and the world at large, he
lives each day in the mindfulness of a liability that can only be repaid by
helping others - whenever, and wherever possible. His dream is to impact his
peers, his community and nations. He envisions breeding a new generation of
civic-minded and service-oriented leaders, and thankfully, he’s surrounded by
some passionate and supportive mentors, and hardworking youth workers who are
committed to making this a reality. So here's an advice from Andrew: Don't
boast of being "self-made" – because we all need other leaders to
believe in us.
Andrew
currently serves as Youth Representative of the Liberian Ministry of Health,
and Heads the newly established Adolescent and Youth Unit within the Family
Health Division at the Ministry of Health.
Andrew is an International Youth Development Activist and a
Certified African Youth Activist for “Grass-roots” campaigns and drives
in Africa with over 10 years of experience in youth and local community
development, social entrepreneurship, grassroots campaigns and peace education.
Andrew is a U.S. Department of State’s GIST Program Alumnus and lead organizer
of the GIST Techconnect in Liberia. He aspires to complete a graduate degree in
Youth Development and Entrepreneurship.
Despite
being a civil war victim, it didn’t let the challenges quench his thirst to
make a change; instead, they propelled him to dream for better opportunities,
and defined in him the true meaning and the purpose of life—to look beyond his
own needs to see other people’s needs. Thus, he led, established and registered
Youth Network for Reform (YONER) in 2008.
To date; YONER has directly impacted the lives of over 30,000 fellow
youth and children through partnership with communities to provide local
scholarships to deserving students, conduct training, and engage in advocacy
and other community services including waste management and business
networking, admitted as member of the Ministry of Youth & Sports’ Youth
Coordination Committee and African Youth NGOs Network, and an implementing
partner to Mandela Washington Fellowship-Liberia. YONER-LIBERIA is headquartered in Paynesville
City and has two active Clubs in J.J. Y. Community (Gardnerville) and Freetown
Community (Browerville.
In the
eight short years since its founding, YONER-LIBERIA has been able to build
partnership with more than 20 local youth NGOs across country and more than 5
public institutions complementing its initiatives to continue playing a major
role in the peace-building and sustainable development process in Liberia; a
country with too many unproductive, unsupervised youths through valuable
structured programs. YONER-LIBERIA has achieved these through voluntary
community service, local scholarships, and entrepreneurial/start-ups training;
inter-community peace and reconciliation sports tournaments and dialogues to
engage and empower young people to promote positive values, healthy habits, and
education – resulting in real life power.
To his
credit, he holds an Associate Degree in Management and a Senior Student
majoring in Business Administration at
the Stella Maris Polytechnic in Liberia.
Because
of the several innovative programs he has initiated or supported to buttress
government’s and development partners’ efforts in strengthening the various
sectors around the country, he has gained recognition and support from several
national and international Institutions including the United Nations Mission in
Liberia and Ministries of Education, Health and Youth.
He
currently serves as advisor to several national and regional youth
organizations in Liberia and around Africa. He has headed Liberian youth delegations
at various youth events in more than 15 countries around Africa and in Asia.
In
April 2016, he was rated by the United States Department of State’s Global
innovation through Science and Technology Program as one of the top 32 emerging
entrepreneurs selected from a pool of more than 600 applicants from across
Africa with the best innovation and attend the GIST Bootcamp in South Africa
and received Certificate of Registration from the International Panel of Ignite
The Youth as one of the 34 Young African Leaders for “Grass-roots” campaigns
and drives in Africa.
In 2016
and 2015, he emerged as semi-finalist in the U.S. Department of State’s
Community Solution Program, featured in WYA -2015 Annual Report as Outstanding
Member and Africa’s Leading Voice and won a Global Youth Leader Icon award in
India as a result of a paper he presented as an International Speaker.
In 2014
he was selected as a member of 52 Emerging Leaders from within the Atlantic
Basin by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and also emerged as
Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young Africa Leaders Initiative
Semi-Finalist.
He
has also participated in several
regional and international youth conferences in more than 10 countries in
Africa, Asia and Europe, including the most recent; US Department of State’s
Global Innovation through Science and Technology Bootcamp in Johannesburg,
South Africa-2016, 26th AU Heads of State and Governments’ Summit-2016 and
African Union Agenda 2063 Youth Consultation Summit -2015. He has also attended the 2nd African Youth
Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in Maputo, Mozambique-2015; the
International Youth NGOs Summit (IYONS-2015) in Chennai, India; and the German
Marshall Fund of the United States’ Third Edition of the Atlantic Dialogues
Emerging Leaders Program in Marrakesh, Morocco-2014. He attended the World
Youth Alliance Africa 3rd and 4th Africa Emerging Leaders Conferences in
Nairobi, Kenya.
Andrew
is a Liberian, and hailed from Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. Present, he lives
in Paynesville City, Liberia.
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Youth Network
for Reform (YONER) Feb. 2008-present
Founder/Executive
Director | Paynesville, Liberia
Develop and
implement strategic plans in partnership with the Board of Directors, better
positioning the organization for success and making it visible in Paynesville
City, Monrovia.
Developed and
implemented household solid waste management program that keeps Paynesville
City clean.
Manage staff
effectively such that the waste management program has had less than 15% staff
turnover in four years.
Lead, coach,
and motivate youth volunteers and they embraced the mission of YONER and commit
to working effectively to improve the community.
World Youth
Alliance Liberia Chapter Aug. 2012-Jun. 2015
Liberia
Chapter Founder/First Country Coordinator | Monrovia, Liberia
Successfully
established and coordinated World Youth Alliance-Liberia Chapter (WYA-LC) from
its origins to its present state; recognized as a full Chapter under the
African Region
Presided at
all meetings prepared and submitted
OTHER
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
US Department
of State’s Global Innovation through Science & Technology Bootcamp
Johannesburg,
South Africa, April 12-15, 2016
The GIST
Startup Boot Camp was held in
Johannesburg, South Africa from April 12 – April 15, to teach 32 young African
teams how to effectively get out of the building and interview potential
customers in order to get the information they need to form a successful
startup. The Boot Camp was led by GIST’s Startup Boot Camp implementer
VentureWell. Local partners The Innovation Hub and LeadAfrika provided
in-country support.
African Union
Inter-Generational Dialogues between African Leaders and between African
leaders and the Youth of the continent on sidelines of every ordinary Session
of the African Union Heads of States and Governments’ Summit| Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia Jan 21-31, 2016
Participated
in the Intergenerational Dialogue between African Leaders and African Youth,
which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme “Harnessing the
Demographic Dividend in Africa towards the realization of the Sustainable
Development Goals and AU Agenda 2063.”
The AUIGD-2016 aimed to promote youth leadership and empowerment towards
Agenda 2063 and other continental and global targets.
African Union
Agenda 2063 Youth Consultation Summit | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Oct. 2015-Nov.
2015
Participated
in the African Union Agenda 2063 Youth Consultation Summit and Celebration of
the African Youth Day 2015 held from October 28-November 1, 2015 at the African
Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia organized by the Youth Division of
the African Union Commission and the Pan African Youth Union in partnership
with the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development - Addis Ababa University
Charter (YALDA-AAU)
2nd African
Youth Conference on Democracy and Good Governance | Maputo, Mozambique Sep.
2015-Sep. 2015
Represented
Liberia at the Conference organized by the Youth Parliament of Mozambique in
cooperation with the African Youth Leaders Network held from September 21-25,
2015. The Conference theme was “Africa Beyond 2015” and was chaired by former
South African president Thabo Mbeki. More than 400 delegates and panelists
attended, including former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya.
International
Youth NGO Summit (IYONS-2015) | Chennai, India Jul. 2015-Jul. 2015
Attended and
presented a paper at the IYONS in Chennai, India held from July 24-26, 2015.
Youth from 120 countries discussed, debated, and evolved relevant youth
development policies and best practices. IYONS created networking relationships
among youth attendees. Received the Global Youth Leader Icon Award based on the
quality of the paper presented.
World Youth
Alliance Track A Training Course | Monrovia, Liberia Aug. 2013-Jun. 2015
First
Liberian to complete WYA’s certified training program or Track A and received a
Certificate of Accreditation. The course summarizes philosophical, historical,
and modern day texts that focus on the dignity of the person and human rights.
Course completers are equipped to articulate and defend the principles of the
dignity of the person within the public square and to serve in key leadership
positions.
Third Edition
of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders Program | Marrakesh, Morocco Oct.
2014-Oct. 2014
Attended the
Third Edition of the Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders Program in Marrakesh,
Morocco held from October 24-26, 2014. ADELP was organized by the German
Marshall Fund of the United States and OPC Policy Center of Morocco.
HONORS AND
AWARDS
Certificate
of Appreciation Oct. 2015
Youth
Division of the African Union Commission and The Youth Alliance for Leadership
and Development - Addis Ababa University Charter (YALDA-AAU)
Received Certificate
of Appreciation for attending and presenting at the Agenda 2063 Youth
Consultation Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Program intended to raise
awareness among youth attendees about Agenda 2063.
Youth
Representative Sep. 2015
Ministry of
Health, Monrovia, Liberia
Selected by
the Minister of Health as Youth Representative on the Liberia National Core
Team to the “Sub-Regional Project on Youth Empowerment and Demographic
Dividend” (YEDD). The YEDD intends to mobilize financial support for
interventions designed to address pressing challenges of young people in the
sub-region.
Global Youth
Leader Icon Award-2015 Jul. 2015
International
Youth NGOs Network, India
Awarded the
Global Youth Leader Icon Award based on the quality of a paper presented at the
International NGOs Summit (IYONS) in Chennai, India
Featured as
Outstanding Member and Africa’s Leading Voice in Africa Region Mar. 2015
World Youth
Alliance International
Featured as
Outstanding Member and Leading Voice of the Alliance in the Africa Region in
the World Youth Alliance International’s Annual Report published in March 2015.
The World Youth Alliance is a global organization of young people from more
than 200 countries. The Alliance promotes the dignity of the person and builds
solidarity among developed and developing nations through policies, culture,
and education to foster free and just societies.
Financial Aid
Recipient May. 2013
Smile Liberia
and the Government of Liberia
Received a
semester financial aid in the tone of US$205.00 in May 2013 based on financial
needs through a competitive online application posted on the Liberian
Government Executive Manson Website. It was an initiative of Smile Liberia (a
Philanthropic Organization) and the Government of Liberia to help students who
couldn't afford their fees.
Representation
at Regional and International Youth Events
Ghana
(Accra-3 times)
Sierra Leone
(Freetown-2 times)
Kenya
(Nairobi- 3 times)
Nigeria
(Lagos)
Mozambique
(Maputo)
Ethiopia
(Addis Ababa-2 times)
South Africa
(Johannesburg)
Morocco
(Marrakech)
India
(Chennai)
