TanYa Merrick Powell, also known as TanYah Global, is a dedicated youth development expert, social justice advocate, and international consultant with extensive experience in policy, training,
and program development. As the Founder and a Director of the Jamaica Professional Youth Workers Association and Co-Chair of the Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Work Associations
(CAYWA), she plays a critical role in advancing the professionalization of youth work across Jamaica, the Caribbean and the Commonwealth, bridging the gap between grassroots practitioners, academia and development agendas. With a strong background in entrepreneurship, community development, juvenile justice, and social justice, TanYa has led initiatives that promote youth work training, youth access to justice literacy, and youth worker participation in Jamaica and beyond. She is also an accomplished author, with multiple publications addressing themes of personal empowerment, youth in detention, and spirituality.

Through her consultancy, TanYah Global Wellness and Development, she provides expertise in social development, training, and holistic wellness. She has spearheaded projects that empower
youth workers, strengthen community-based and non-profit organizations, and promote culturally sustainable development. Passionate about emancipatory approaches to youth work,
TanYa challenges colonial academic frameworks and advocates for the integration of indigenous culture in youth development. Her influence extends across Africa and the Caribbean, where she collaborates with governments, nonprofits, and international agencies to drive meaningful change. Her upcoming memoir, Roots of Emancipation, reflects her personal and professional journey, underscoring her unwavering commitment to transforming lives through advocacy and education.

TanYah’s journey is deeply personal, she became a teen mother as a result of childhood sexual abuse that led to early sexual relationships, a trauma she spent decades healing from to live a
life of wholeness and self-love. While she cherishes her children, she understands the struggles of young single mothers and works to support them in healing so they can lead better lives and
raise whole, well children. This passion led her to develop and self-fund Young Women Rising, a project that targeted young mothers as young as 14 years old in a volatile inner-city community in Jamaica. The initiative helps them transition into adulthood without proper support systems while guiding them through healing and personal growth, equipping them to navigate
motherhood with resilience. Through this work, TanYah continues to be a beacon of hope, using her own journey to inspire transformation in the lives of women facing similar challenges.