Blessed with a caring heart and an ability to laugh when necessary, Claudette Pious has maintained the middle ground.

Pious, founder of Children's First, an organisation which targets at-risk Jamaican youth between three and 24 years old, is a child rights activist, HIV/AIDS activist, counsellor and more.

Since its inception in 1997, the non-governmental organisation has been employing a combination of social, educational and training programmes to help in the development of the youth. The young people's parents are also targeted through a skills training and small business project.

One of Pious' major aims through the programme is to uplift the youth and this is achieved in a number of ways.

The at-risk youth are given the opportunity to give back through the Children First Environmental Protectors group, where a specific group is trained as facilitators who, through creative and cultural methods, raise awareness and improve the communities served by the organisation.

Pious was also instrumental in setting up a programme along with the island correctional centres and the Ministry of National Security, called 'Out-A-Road', which uses cultural forms to educate persons about HIV/AIDS.

A familiar face in local theatre, Pious is an actress and comedienne who is a founding member of Jambiz Theatre Production Company. She has performed in productions like Children Children, Oliver's Posse, Breadfruit Kingdom, Oliver and the Genie, CindyRelisha and the DJ Prince and Christopher Cum Buck Us. Her work in the theatre has taken her to Canada, The Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands for performances.

She is the mother of four and is currently a candidate for the University of Cambridge's Ph.D. programme.