In an official announcement released September 3, 2026, the CARICOM Secretariat confirmed the appointment of Janet Simon, a youth advocate from Antigua and Barbuda, as the new Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Corps. Her tenure officially launched September 1, 2026, bringing with it a clear, youth-centered agenda focused on addressing the most pressing challenges facing young people across the Caribbean Community.
Simon, a trained educator and veteran youth development leader with the title of Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassador, brings decades of cross-sector experience to the regional role. Her work has long centered on advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with targeted focus on public health, accessible education, climate action, sanitation, and cross-community peacebuilding. At the national level in Antigua and Barbuda, she has earned widespread recognition for two impactful initiatives: a national School Tour that has delivered life skills training to thousands of secondary students, and the innovative “Peace through Art” series that uses creative expression to foster conflict resolution. She also leads capacity-building workshops for local youth organizations, and serves as an active core member of Healthy Caribbean Youth, where she has pushed for systemic changes to school nutrition frameworks and youth mental health support policies. Her advocacy has extended to global policy platforms, including the World Bank and United Nations, where she has consistently centered the unmet needs of Caribbean youth in international discussions.
Outlining her strategic priorities for her tenure, Simon made clear that youth well-being and economic opportunity will sit at the top of her agenda. Her core policy focuses include expanding access to quality nutrition education, advancing prevention efforts for non-communicable diseases, scaling up mental health support systems, strengthening regional peacebuilding, expanding life skills training for young people, and building clear, accessible pathways to sustainable youth employment. Her overarching mission is to equip young people across CARICOM with the knowledge, resources, and agency to act as engaged citizens and drive the future direction of the regional bloc.
In a statement following the appointment announcement, Simon shared her perspective on the role: “I am honoured to serve as Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Corps. My work with young people across the Region has shown me the urgent unmet need to strengthen youth mental health support and nutrition access. I believe we can fundamentally transform how young people access critical services by empowering their peers to lead the way in outreach and advocacy.”
Michele Small-Bartley, Programme Manager for Youth Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, offered a warm welcome to the new Dean, praising her unique qualifications and vision. “Janet brings to this role a deep, lived passion for youth development, a creative spirit, and a clear, unwavering commitment to public service,” Small-Bartley noted. “I am especially encouraged by her strong focus on mental health advocacy and the fresh, thoughtful approaches she hopes to bring to the regional youth ambassador programme. Her leadership arrives at a pivotal moment, as we continue working to strengthen the voice, visibility, and meaningful participation of CARICOM Youth Ambassadors across every member state.”
Simon’s peer-led approach to expanding service access marks a shift in how regional youth programming will be delivered, with the new dean betting that young-led outreach will bridge gaps in support that have persisted for generations across the Caribbean.