Do you know a volunteer or humanitarian that works tirelessly for positive change?

22 May 2020

Comments

A lot of the grass-root changes in society start from volunteers and humanitarians that have it in their hearts to see a better future for their communities. They see someone struggling and step in to help, no strings attached, no payments asked, just pure will to create a brighter future.

The JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) Awards aim to recognise 10 young people (afed 18-40) coming from different sectors of society who have proven themselves to be true leaders of positive change. One such award is the ‘Humanitarian and/or Voluntary Leadership’.

This award recognises those who promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.

Past Winner – Bjorn Formosa

The past winner of this award (previously named Humanitarian Leadership) was Bjorn Formosa. Bjorn Formosa was diagnosed with ALS in late July 2015. Following his diagnosis, he started pursuing a battle to fight ALS. He set up and has been leading ALS Malta, even though his strength has been deteriorating more and more as time goes by. The first televised fundraiser raised about 500k specifically to provide medical equipment to ALS patients. Following that, work started to open DAR Bjorn, a specialised nursing home for ALS patients, the home opened up only in November 2017. Even though through the years, his physical strength has been slowly deteriorating, his will to help people like him has only grown stronger. Through his work he is not only trying to toughen the pain of all sufferers but also bringing to Malta the right medication and equipment needed for the recovery journey.

10 JCI Malta TOYP winners to be nominated for an Award in Johannesburg

The JCI Malta version of the TOYP Awards will lead the 10 chosen winners to be nominated for the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Programme (JCI TOYP) where they will compete with nominees from all around the world to win this same award, but on an international scale! Next year, the awards ceremony will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in November.

TOYP History

The original TOYP program was developed by Durwood Howes, President of The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce during 1930 – 1931. He conceived the idea of recognising outstanding individuals by publishing a yearbook entitled ‘America’s Young Men’ which highlighted the work of 12 exemplary leaders each year.

The United States Junior Chamber officially adopted the program in 1938. Since 1952, numerous JCI National Organisations have established their own Outstanding Young Persons Programs. Past recipients of national awards include well-known personalities such as Orson Welles, Howard Hughes, Nelson Rockefeller, John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, Gerald Ford, Benigno Aquino, and many more, all named before the age of 40 and before they had achieved national prominence.

In 1983, JCI officially adopted the JCI Ten Outstanding Persons of the World Programme. Since then, JCI has honoured hundreds of individuals from more than 50 nations.

This award is sponsored by APS bank.

0 Comments

0 Comments

More News

Related Posts

Read more about what JCI does and how we create the leaders of tomorrow.