JCI NEW ZEALAND PRESS RELEASE:
Junior Chamber International selects Hayley Westenra as an Outstanding Young Person of the World.
The JCI (Jaycee’s) New Zealand nomination of Hayley Westenra has been selected as one of Junior Chamber International’s
(JCI) Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Program (TOYP).
JCI New Zealand National President Andre Stokes says that the TOYP Program serves to formally recognize young people
(aged between 18 and 40) throughout the world who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the
world’s young people. By recognizing these young people, JCI encourages them and others to seek excellence and to
continue to serve others. Hayley won under the category of Cultural Achievement
The selection process for nominees is arduous says National President Stokes. In 2006, over 150 nominations were
submitted from 42 different countries. All nominations were pre-screened by judges to select thirty finalists. The final
thirty nominations were then sent to the final judges. At that stage of judging, each judge worked independently of his
fellow judges and the names of the judges are unknown to their fellow judges until the judging process is completed. The
final honorees selected were the ten nominees who receive the highest point totals.
In winning this prestigious award, Miss Westenra will be flown, courtesy of JCI, to the JCI World Congress in Seoul in
November where she will be presented with her award at a formal black tie function.
Past winners of the JCI TOYP awards include Actor Jackie Chan, Entrepreneur Anthony Robbins and Australian Pioneer
Aviatrix, Janine Shepherd.
JCI (Jaycees) is a world-wide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs for young people aged 18-40. It has more
than 250,000 members in more than 110 nations globally.
ENDS