By Fungayi Sox
Celebration Centre became an epitomic centre to celebrate 10 Outstanding Young Persons in Zimbabwe (TOYP) at a glamorous awards event hosted by JCI Zimbabwe recently.
The event was organised by JCI Capital, a Harare-based local organisation, which is affiliated to JCI Zimbabwe.
Corporate partners who graced the awards ceremony included Exide, Realtor Ville, Elevate Trust, Aygail’s Collections, Venice Men’s Wear and the host, The Celebration Centre.
Background
The Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) is a Junior Chamber International (JCI) initiative which began in 1983. JCI TOYP serves to formally recognize young people (18-40 years), who excel in their chosen fields and create positive change.
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By recognising these young people, JCI raises the status of socially responsible leaders in this world. The honourees motivate their peers to seek excellence and serve others. Their stories of discovery, determination and ingenuity inspire young people to be better leaders and create better societies.
Over the years, JCI Zimbabwe has consistently and traditionally committed to celebrating young Zimbabweans who are doing amazing work in their respective areas of influence.
To date, six Zimbabweans have made it to the global Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the world list, all in different years where they were honoured at JCI World Congress level. All of them were named before the age of 40 and before they had achieved national/international prominence.
These are Charlene Ann Hewat for Moral/Environmental leadership (1995), Strive Masiyiwa, for Business, Economic and/or Entrepreneurial Accomplishments (1999), Sabelo Sibanda for Cultural Achievement (2004), Betty Makoni for Humanitarian and Voluntary leadership, Tendai Wenyika for political, legal and governmental affairs (2012) and Sinqobile Ndlovu for Moral and Environmental leadership (2016).
Honorees selected in preceding years have represented the heights of progress in numerous human endeavors. Many have gone on to even greater achievements. All have continued to serve humanity in a great variety of ways
Criterion and selection
The nominees are chosen from the 10 categories listed below:
- Business, economic and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment
- Political, legal and/or governmental affairs
- Academic leadership and/or accomplishment
- Cultural achievement
- Moral and/or environmental leadership
- Contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights
- Humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership
- Scientific and/or technological development
- Personal improvement and/or accomplishment
- Medical innovation
One of the award winners who caught the attention of many is 20-year-old Seth Vanbeek, a qualified commercial pilot, who flew all the way from the United Kingdom to attend the awards ceremony and to show the passion and love that he has for his motherland, Zimbabwe.
JCI also took time to honour the 2020 honorees, who were named virtually due to the lockdown restrictions at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic with notable honourees for 2020, including Christopher Mugaga, the CEO of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and Democracy and human rights activist Namatai Kwekweza.
Tatenda Samukange of the Skylake Borehole drilling fame, Jonathan Kadurira of The Mesh and Yvonne Mangunda, the veteran sports journalist and communications expert are some of the prominent names that have made it to the 2021 Ten Outstanding Young Persons honourees.
In no particular order, these are the 2021 TOYP honourees.
- Andrew Tsuro
- Ben J Ncube
- Jonathan Ralph Kadurira
- Seth Vanbeek
- Tatenda Samukange
- Yvonne Mangunda
- Ratidzo Mutizwa,
- Onward G Chironda,
- Terrance Mawanga
- Jerry More Nyazungu
JCI Zimbabwe is affiliated to Junior Chamber International, a membership-driven organisation of dedicated and enterprising young leaders, aged 18 to 40, creating positive opportunities around the world. Active in more than 5 000 locationsacross nearly 115 countries, JCI members are recognised for embracing new ideas andcollaborating across borders. JCI supports its members to develop leadership skills asthey relate to personal development, business and entrepreneurship, community action andinternational collaboration.
- The Writer Fungayi Sox is the MD of TisuMazwi, a communications consultancy firm specialising in writing, publishing, digitalmedia, personal development and education. He writes in his personal capacity. For feedback contact him on 0776030 949, follow him on Twitter @AntonySox or connect with him onLinkedIn on Fungayi Antony Sox.