GraceKennedy (GK) has announced that applications are now open for its 2023 Jamaican Birthright Summer Internship Programme.

The application period will run from September 1 to November 30, 2022.

Through the programme, university students of Jamaican descent from Canada, the United Kingdom,
and the United States will participate in a five-week professional internship in Jamaica between June 28 and August 7, 2023. The internship also provides an opportunity for the students to reconnect with their Jamaican roots through cultural immersion trips known as Heritage Pathway tours.

Caroline Mahfood, CEO of the GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF), which manages and coordinates the
programme, explained: “We relaunched GK Birthright in June 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to the
pandemic and we were so glad to see it return.”

Mahfood added: “As in previous years, this year’s programme ensured that the children of Jamaicans living abroad got the opportunity to learn about Jamaica, experience their heritage and culture first-hand – some for the very first time – as well as create lifelong connections with each other and their homeland. We are looking forward to welcoming the new cohort who will benefit from this exciting, life-changing internship.”

SHOULD NOT HAVE LIVED IN JAMAICA FOR LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS

Interested applicants to the 2023 GK Birthright Programme must be a second or third generation
Jamaican (have Jamaican parentage or grand parentage) between the ages of 18 and 25 years pursuing
either an undergraduate or post-graduate degree, with a Grade ‘B’ average or higher.

Additionally, Birthright applicants should not have lived in Jamaica for longer than six months and must be passionate about learning about their Jamaican heritage and getting actively involved in diaspora activities.

Application forms for the 2023 GK Jamaican Birthright Summer Internship Programme are available here. For further information, interested persons can send queries via email to [email protected].