“Environmentalist uses creative writing talents to inspire women, girls”
Featured in the Guyana Chronicle on 09 December 2024
AT the age of 29, Jamella Chesney has found her niche, and is committed to her effort in empowering youth and women.
Jamella is an environmentalist, a mentor, and a poet. Her interests include travelling and the creative arts. Because of her academic and professional background, Chesney has had the opportunity to travel the world.
Two years ago, she decided to return to Guyana to give back to her country and community. Although she was born and raised in Guyana, Jamella has lived in the United States of America, Costa Rica, Barbados, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
In addition, Jamella is a volunteer with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), a non-profit network organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of young people by facilitating their personal development and active involvement in education, training and action on environmental and sustainable development issues.
Mentioning the inspiration behind such a career choice, Jamella explained that it wasn’t planned.
She said: “It wasn’t intentional. I sort of just ended up here. My dream was to be an English teacher and a writer and I was advised that you can’t really have a lucrative career in the creative arts, so I turned to STEM and I completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and once I finished that degree, I realised that I didn’t like it at all. It wasn’t fulfilling. So I knew that I needed to pivot.”
She recalled watching a 2006 documentary which was presented by former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, titled, “An Inconvenient Truth”.
“I watched it and I learned about global warming and climate change, how your lifestyle, your diet, various industries and sectors contribute to high greenhouse gas emissions and how that affects the climate and the planet,” Chesney stated.
Jamella’s father, an expert in the field of agriculture and biodiversity, was also an inspiration for her. She said it had always been a conversation growing up, causing them to be conscious of their actions and how it impacts the environment.
She noted, “We need to live in harmony with nature and with the natural environment, so it wasn’t a new territory. But after watching a few documentaries, I was motivated to pursue this field.”
Jamella earned her Master’s in Environment, Development, and Peace with a specialisation in Climate Change Policy from the University for Peace.
Accumulating vast experience that has shaped her, she is devoted to helping young girls and women to find their voice, explore their desires, and live in their truth.
Alongside this, Jamella’s work as a creative is just as important.
In August this year, her poem, “Mama Said (No Back Chat)” was published on Adda Stories, an online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation. It explored themes of control, shame, silence, and survival, and was shaped by the teachings of women across generations.
Some of her other works include: “The Empty Rocking Chair”, and, “A Studio Apartment in Munhak-dong.”
As a career coach, Jamella said her role is to show clients, who are most often women, that although we live in a conservative and traditional society, marriage and motherhood don’t have to be the pinnacle of their identity.
“It’s fine if that’s what you want, and you should aspire to that, but don’t feel the pressure that your life has to mirror someone else’s. You can decide what success looks like to you. You can decide what happiness looks like to you. And if I can support you in that journey, I’m more than happy to do it,” Jamella remarked.
To learn more about Jamella and what she does, persons can visit her website: www.jamellachesney.com.
