The Distinguished

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Keisha Hill
Senior Gleaner Writer
FORMER FESTIVAL queen for the
parish of Manchester, Lanisia Rhoden,
has been a trailblazer in youth entrepre-
neurship, and has accomplished a lot in an
impressively short time frame.
To date, one of her most important accom-
plishments has been the establishment of the
Young Women/Men of Purpose
(YWOP/YMOP) programme which she
started in 2009,during her reign. The organi-
sation provides career services to young men
and women in Manchester - including men-
torship sessions on different vocations, pre-
sentations from professionals, and pairing a
mentee with a volunteer.
“We started the organisation to help young
women who are ignored or who aren’t given
enough attention because of their family
background or situations they may get them-
selves in. What started out with catering to
women between the ages of 16-25, was
quickly expanded to include men, as young
as 13 years old,” Rhoden explained.
Rhoden who holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in food service management from the
University of Technology, and a Master of
Science in innovation management and
entrepreneurship from the University of
Manchester in the United Kingdom, further
reveals that outside of men-
torship, YWOP has carried out three projects
that are internationally funded.
“We have been doing very well and have
done quite a bit of work in central Jamaica.
As a registered non-governmental organisa-
tion, we have embarked on a number of projects
that has helped many people to realise their
dreams and true potential,” Rhoden added.
These projects have included, The Youth
Entrepreneurship Project, which was funded
by the UN-Habitat Urban Youth Fund in
2013, REAP (Realise Embrace Achieve Your
Purpose), which was funded by the Com-
monwealth Youth Council and CUSO Inter-
national and REAP 2 that was recently con-
cluded, that provided training for 42 young
women, funded by the Canada Fund for local
initiative.
“Through the entrepreneurship project, we
were able to train 50 young entrepreneurs in
Manchester, and were able to give business
grants of US$500 to the top 14 businesses,
and that was open to entrepreneurs between
18 and 32 years old,” Rhoden highlighted.
The organisation has now grown to over
50 volunteer members who regularly goe into
schools to conduct presentations aimed at
empowering students and building their self-
esteem.
“Everyone involved in the project is a
volunteer. It does take a lot of time, but we
have been able to create a balance and make
it work. Time management is important and
scheduling works. Youth and community
development and entrepreneurship are my
passions and everything I do is interconnected,
so I am able to get things done more effi-
ciently,” Rhoden said.
As a spin-off from the interactions with
these youth, Rhoden has also conceptualised
the ‘Link Your Purpose’ technology applica-
tion for high school students to help them
determine their career goals, and the areas
best suited for them.
The app also features university guides,
local and internal scholarship offers as well as
content for students to identify the prerequi-
site courses to guide their career path after
high school.
Rhoden, the recipient of the Governor
General’s Achievement Award for Manches-
ter and the beneficiary of a Rotary Ambas-
sadorial Scholarship, has not only won posi-
tive feedback for her innovation, but has also
secured an international fellowship at the Do
School for Social Enterprise in Germany to
further develop and implement her plans and
objectives.
As part of the programme, she participated
in a 10-week incubation period on campus in
Germany, where fellows were asked to solve
a challenge for H & M — a multinational
retail clothing company.
16 THE GLEANER’S FLAIR MAGAZINE • MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018
Distinguished
THE
Business
No limits for
LANISIA
RHODEN
“Time management is important and scheduling
works. Youth and community development and
entrepreneurship are my passions and
everything I do is interconnected, so I am able
to get things done more efficiently.”