Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major (second from left) with the One Young World Politician of the Year Award winners.
THE HAGUE — Travis Robinson, a 23-year-old Member of The Bahamas House of Assembly, was one of five winners of the inaugural One Young World Politician of the Year Award announced during the One Young World 2018 Summit held in The Hague October 17- 20
“These five young leaders have been chosen from a shortlist of nineteen promising young politicians from around the world,” One Young World, announced on its website, adding that the award was launched “to highlight the work of young politicians who are using their positions to make a difference and improve youth engagement in politics.”
“The five winners impressed the panel of judges with the impact they are having, and how they’ve used their positions to benefit young people specifically,” the website said.
The awards were announced by the Rt. Hon Sir John Major KG CH, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, on stage at the One Young World 2018 Summit.
Sir John, who left school at 16 and entered politics at the age of 21, became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1990, serving until 1997.
“After more than 50 years of public service, Sir John believes young people should be encouraged to pursue a career in politics, not least since they have a crucial role to play in shaping all our futures in this ever-faster moving world,” the One Young World website states.
The website notes that One Young World was founded in 2009 by David Jones and Kate Robertson and is “a UK-based charity that gathers together the brightest young leaders from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change.”
“We stage an annual Summit where the most valuable young talent from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organisations are joined by world leaders, acting as the One Young World Counsellors,” the website states. “At the Summit, delegates debate, formulate and share innovative solutions for the pressing issues the world faces.”
At past Summits delegates were joined by a line-up of Counsellors that included Justin Trudeau, Emma Watson, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof, Kofi Annan, Sir Richard Branson, Meghan Markle, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Jamie Oliver, Jack Dorsey and Mary Robinson.
“After each Summit, the delegates, who are then known as One Young World Ambassadors, work on their own initiatives or lend the power of the One Young World network to those initiatives already in existence,” the website states. “Of those in employment, many return to their companies and set about creating change from within, energising their corporate environment.”
In addition to Travis Robinson, the other four One Young World Politician of the Year Award winners are Naisula Lesuuda, 34, of Kenya; Julius Fieve, 29, Ghana; Sayida Ounissi, 31, Tunisia; and Jordon Steele-John, 23, Australia.
A brief bio of the winners accompanied the announcement with their photo. Here’s Travis’ bio:
TRAVIS ROBINSON, 23, THE BAHAMAS
“At 22 years old, Travis Robinson became the youngest MP to serve on a country’s legislative body in the Caribbean. Two weeks later he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism. Mr. Robinson founded The Rising Star Organization, a mentorship organization which trains and empowers young student leaders to become world changers. Mr. Robinson has launched local projects in his constituency such as the Bains and Grants Town Center for Academic Development to give residents the opportunity to develop their skills and learn about entrepreneurship.” https://www.oneyoungworld.com/news-item/john-major-announces-politician-year-award-winners-oyw2018?fbclid=IwAR12LhYRwmXY6Jb1HMkwhk-kELFBUsVhML6oLD-5gqCGnr0HcBvYDv4yHtw
