Gabrielle Gay Barbados’ first United Nations AIS Ambassador

Gabrielle Gay has achieved a lot in her life.

The final year law student at The University of The West Indies Cave Hill Campus and founder of Femme Lex Cohort, Femme Stem Cohort, Gabrielle Gay Reading Literacy Award and the Erline Bradshaw Foundation: was recently announced as the first ever United Nation AIS Youth Ambassador for Barbados.

What is AIS? The United Nations Archipelagic and Island States Forum (AIS Forum) for which Gabrielle Gay is an Ambassador, is a platform designed to include 47 archipelagic and island states around the world to take part in a collective forum addressing sustainable development issues.

Gay was chosen to represent Barbados due to the outstanding work she has been doing in Education and Climate Governance and has made history as she is the first, and lone Barbadian in the 22 Ambassadors selected from hundreds of youth leaders across the globe. The newly appointed Ambassador said she thanks God for bestowing such an honour upon her and she looks forward to representing Barbados well on this international forum.

“First let me say thanks be to God. I could not have received this honour without Him! I was chosen due to the work I have been doing for well over a decade in education and climate governance. Early last year during the pandemic lockdowns I created The Femme Lex Cohort. The first and only legal mentorship entrepreneurship programme of its kind, and a proud official action hub of the Caribbean Climate Justice Project. Studies show that Environmental Law and it’s related specialties are the least likely to be selected by law students for career speciality. This is extremely detrimental for the Caribbean as Climate Justice is critical to protect our oceans, flora and fauna. The Femme Lex Cohort is training the next generation of Environmental Lawyers, connecting them with attorney mentors in Climate Justice and certifying them in Conscious Entrepreneurship. The Programme is pushing the envelope for legal education in this regard and filling this gap in the Caribbean and worldwide,” she said.

The former student of the Seventh Day Adventist School who is passionate about philanthropy, is excited to use her ambassadorship to be able to revolutionize education in Barbados. “I have always sought to use my influence to assist all of society. The AIS Ambassadorship allows me to continue to do this whilst connecting with fantastic youth leaders worldwide. It also gives me the honour to represent Barbados in education globally. As a proud Barbadian and Caribbean woman this is a true-life achievement that has been unlocked,” she said.

Gay is passionate about educating members of the public how they can contribute to maintaining a sustainable future for years to come. “ At AIS we are keen on educating the youth and public alike on how they can contribute to sustainability. By simply joining a beach clean-up, thrifting your clothing, purchasing thrifted items, or recycling plastic at a plan that will turn up cycle versus dumping it, all of these are simple ways to join in on the sustainability fun. Do not be nervous or afraid to show your friends and family these new and simple ways of making a greener planet for all,” she said. To keep abreast on Gabrielle’s Gay AIS Ambassadorship journey follow her on Instagram @gabriellegay_. (Write Right PR Services)