Wikipedia

Draft:Leo Gilling

Leo Gilling is a Jamaican-born criminologist, educator, author, and diaspora-development leader. He is the founder and executive chairman of the Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network (JDTAN) and previously led the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force. His work has included teacher development, education initiatives, diaspora engagement, criminal justice, and human development.[1][2]

Gilling has served as a member of Jamaica's Diaspora Advisory Board and has led education and community-development initiatives connecting Jamaica with members of its diaspora.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Gilling was born in Stewart Town, St Mary, Jamaica, and grew up in Oracabessa.[5] Profiles of Gilling have described his childhood, education, migration to the United States, and later involvement in Jamaican community and diaspora organizations.[1][2]

He attended Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in Jamaica.[5][1] He later earned a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice.[2] The Toronto Caribbean Newspaper reported that he completed his doctoral studies in 2024.[1]

Diaspora and community leadership

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After migrating to the United States, Gilling became involved in Jamaican community organizations and initiatives in California.[5][1]

He later served on Jamaica's Diaspora Advisory Board, representing the West/Mid-West United States region.[4][3] During this period, he participated in initiatives intended to strengthen engagement between Jamaica and its overseas communities.

Following the 2013 Jamaica Diaspora Conference, Gilling led the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force. According to Jamaica's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the task force was established by Jamaicans seeking to contribute to improvements in the country's education system.[4]

The task force's activities included education summits, teacher workshops, summer camps, medical assessments for students, support for special education and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, and initiatives relating to early-childhood school infrastructure.[4]

Advancement in Education Summit

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Under Gilling's leadership, the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force developed the Advancement in Education Summit as a professional-development and collaboration initiative involving Jamaican educators and diaspora professionals.

The inaugural summit was held in Jamaica in 2014 in partnership with the Jamaica Teachers' Association. The Jamaica Information Service reported that its objectives included discussing ways to improve education, identifying overlaps and gaps among education organizations, and increasing diaspora involvement in the education system.[3]

By 2019, the task force had staged four Advancement in Education Summits. The Jamaica Information Service reported that hundreds of teachers had benefited from its professional-development activities. It also reported that the first summit led to a 90-page report and the development of a six-year plan addressing education priorities.[6]

Education initiatives

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In 2015, the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force and the Jamaica Teachers' Association supported the participation of Jamaican teachers in the Excellence in Science Experiential Education programme at Loma Linda University in California. The programme provided training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching methods.[7]

In 2016, the task force launched Pledge2Build, a fundraising campaign intended to support early-childhood and primary-school infrastructure and teacher development in Jamaica.[8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, JDTAN organized online professional-development workshops for Jamaican teachers and school administrators. The Jamaica Information Service reported in April 2020 that more than 2,000 teachers had registered for the network's online workshops.[9]

Later that year, the network participated in Google Classroom training for teachers and parents. The Jamaica Observer reported that teacher refresher sessions had reached more than 4,000 teachers and that a separate workshop was organized to assist parents using the platform.[10]

Criminology and human-development work

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Gilling is executive chairman of the Caribbean Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice.[1] His work has included criminology, criminal justice, education, student development, emotional resilience, and parent-school engagement.

He has published educational and human-development frameworks, including the Educative Behavior and Social Intervention Framework (EBSIF™), the Jamaican Boys Academic & Emotional Framework (J-BAEF™), and ReBond: A Framework for Parent-School Partnership.[11]

Writing

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Gilling is the author of From Shadows to Sunshine: My Jamaican Boyhood, a memoir about his childhood in Jamaica and his experiences with education, migration, adversity, and community life.[2][1]

His memoir was launched at events in Canada in 2025 and was the subject of coverage in Caribbean-Canadian media.[2][12]

Gilling has also written commentary on education, crime, diaspora affairs, Jamaican public policy, and social development.[13]

Selected works

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  • From Shadows to Sunshine: My Jamaican Boyhood
  • Educative Behavior and Social Intervention Framework (EBSIF™)
  • Jamaican Boys Academic & Emotional Framework (J-BAEF™)
  • ReBond: A Framework for Parent-School Partnership

Recognition

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At the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference in 2024, Gilling was among individuals recognized for contributions to the development and promotion of the conference.[14]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Junor, Paul (1 August 2025). "From Tenement Yard to Global Change Agent; The life and legacy of Dr. Leo Gilling". Toronto Caribbean Newspaper. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Armstrong, Neil (15 April 2025). "Leo Gilling Shares Powerful Jamaican Memoir of Resilience". The Caribbean Camera. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Scott, Derrick (7 January 2014). "Diaspora Task Force Partners with JTA to Host Education Summit". Jamaica Information Service. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Diaspora Networks". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Murphy, Xavier (4 February 2015). "Conversation with Leo Gilling, of the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force, on Camp Summer Plus & Education in Jamaica". Jamaicans.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Hunter, Judith A. (3 June 2019). "Diaspora Taskforce Supporting Education in Jamaica". Jamaica Information Service. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "More Jamaican teachers to 'ExSEED'". Jamaica Observer. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Diaspora to raise US$2 million for education". Jamaica Observer. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Reckord, E. Hartman (20 April 2020). "Diaspora Hosting Virtual Workshops For Teachers". Jamaica Information Service. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "Diaspora delivers Google Classroom workshop for parents". Jamaica Observer. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Leo Gilling: Books, Biography, Latest Update". Amazon. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Spring Book Launches Celebrate Black and Caribbean Authors in Toronto". The Caribbean Camera. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Leo Gilling". Jamaicans.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Report of the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica. 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2026.

Category:Living people Category:Jamaican educators Category:Jamaican male writers Category:Jamaican emigrants to the United States Category:People from Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica

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