Africa Business Communities
Bridgett Majola elected National President of the JCI in South Africa

Bridgett Majola elected National President of the JCI in South Africa

Bridgett Majola, a Senior Associate the Banking and Finance Practice at Baker & Mckenzie in South Africa, has just been elected as the National President of youth-led organisation Junior Chamber International South Africa (JCI). JCI focuses on developing skills, knowledge and understanding among young South Africans. The purpose of the organisation is to empower youth to be able to make informed decisions and take action to address the critical challenges of their time.

JCI South Africa is a member of Junior Chamber International (JCI), an international membership-based non-profit organization of 200,000 young people ages 18 to 40 in 5,000 communities and more than 100 countries around the world. JCI is affiliated to the United Nations and seeks to establish networks of young people committed to making a positive impact on their communities and creating sustainable change. 

"Being elected as the National President of JCI South Africa is an honour and only the beginning of my journey to create a sustainable future for my community. Our vision for 2017 is for JCI South Africa to be the organisation of choice among young people in South Africa and for us to be the organisation that truly unites all sectors of society. We plan to create a sustainable impact through our Active Citizens Framework," notes Majola. 

She says that JCI South Africa will continue to invest in training and equipping its members to lead in the creation of sustainable impact in their communities. 

"In this regard, we will implement JCI Programmes which include the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Program (JCI TOYP) ,which serves to formally recognise young people who excel in their chosen fields and create positive change. By recognizing these young people, JCI raises the status of socially responsible leaders in this world. We will also actively participate in promoting the Africa Union's Agenda 2063 which is a global strategy to optimize the use of Africa's resources for the benefits of all Africans. We will also continue working on Sustainable Development Goal 16 through our international #PeaceIsPossible campaign. 

"One of the highlights for 2017 will be JCI South Africa hosting a regional Leadership Academy which will invite young people (JCI members and non-JCI members) in the SADC region to collaborate with each other and exchange dynamic ideas on how to find targeted solutions to local issues benefitting our communities, our world and our future,"

"Our vision  is to be the leading global network of young active citizens. Active citizens being those individuals invested in the future of our world and JCI gathers these active citizens from all sectors of society across the world," notes Majola.

Before being elected National President of JCI South Africa, Majola served as the National Treasurer of JCI South Africa and was nominated to represent JCI South Africa at the 29th JCI Leadership Academy in Mito Japan.

Majola’s commitment to youth development and impact has also earned her the honour of being named one of the 200 Young South Africans in 2014 (as named by the Mail & Guardian in its annual list of top 200 young South Africans), which is described by the publication as "the premier collection of the leaders of tomorrow – and in many cases, today." Bridgett was nominated in the Business and Law section and is considered to be someone currently under the age of 35 who will play an important role in the future of South Africa.

In addition, Majola oversaw the implementation of the #MyWorld Campaign in South Africa which was initiated by the United Nations in order to conduct a Global Survey so as to set the post-2015 Sustainable Impact Global Agenda. Majola was also identified as one of the Global Shapers by the World Economic Forum (Tshwane Hub). The Global Shapers are "young people who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements and their drive to make a contribution to their communities".

In 2014, Majola was selected by the South African Law Society to represent the South African Development Community region at the first China-Africa Young Legal Professionals Exchange Program, hosted in Beijing, China, in order to share her legal knowledge with other young lawyers on the course. On her return to South Africa, Majola was named a fellow of the China - Africa Legal Research Centre and a consultant for the China Research Centre for Legal Diplomacy, the China - Africa Legal Training Base and the FOCAC China Africa Legal Cooperation Forum.

Majola said she will use her tenure as National President to encourage all young South Africans and Africans to "dare to dream again and embrace the possibilities that will be awakened and the impact that can be created as we strive to create a better future, the future we want for South Africa, Africa and the world ".

www.jci.cc

 

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