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It started with one Mac computer acquired by the May Pen Y’s Men Service Club nearly a year ago courtesy of the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation.

And, last week, the organisation opened a fully furnished computer lab, with 14 computers, a most welcome addition to Montclair, Clarendon.

In total appreciation of the Jamaican saying ‘one one cocoa full basket,’ the lab was officially opened at the Astel Parkinson Community Centre, with the prime objective to train young people in that community to become self-sufficient in information communication technology (ICT).

“We wanted more young people to be aware of the Y Service Club. we also wanted to train them in areas they were interested in and most wanted to learn computer graphic design,” said Claris McDonald, project officer, May Pen Y Service Club. “We, therefore, reached out to the JNBS Foundation, which assisted us with acquiring our first computer to get started, and, later, the Universal Service Fund (USF) came to our assistance.”

With a graphic design class up and running, more than 20 students participated in the programme and have demonstrated their new skills on assignments, with the most recent being the designing and printing of programmes for the opening of the lab.

creative skills

One of the beneficiaries, Shanice Smith, a grade 11 student at the Garvey Maceo High School, said her ability to use her creative skills as a means to secure part-time employment is quite exciting.

“I used to see posters mounted around town, and I always want to learn how to design them, therefore, I was excited to participate in the graphic design course. I have learned so much, and now I am making posters, business cards, logos, and invitations. I am also very happy that my instructor helps us as students to secure clients and to earn,” said Smith.

Addressing the lab-opening ceremony, Rose Miller, grants manager at the JNBS Foundation, highlighted that the foundation continued to believe in the power of technology and demonstrated this by supporting initiatives that promote increased access to ICT.

“Our foundation was instrumental in providing your service club with a computer to establish a course in computer graphic design, and it’s heartening to see the bar being raised for the opening of a computer lab, with the assistance of the Universal Service Fund, which provided additional equipment,” she said.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150805/montclair-clarendon-welcomes-new-computer-lab
 

General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society Foundation (JN Foundation) Saffrey Brown has been selected to participate in The International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) this month for three weeks in the United States of America (US).

The IVLP is the US Department of State’s premier professional exchange programme. Through short-term visits to the US, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience the country first-hand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. Brown is the only Caribbean representative of the 16 professionals in the batch focusing on change-makers, social enterprises and social entrepreneurs. Participants are nominated and selected annually by the staff at US embassies worldwide and are approved by the State Department staff in Washington, DC.

Social enterprise is definitely Brown’s area as, under her leadership, the JN Foundation launched the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) in 2013, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. The primary objective of this initiative is to mobilise employment, investment and revenue within communities across Jamaica in a socially responsible manner, and, in so doing, improve the nation’s economic, social and environmental conditions.

“It (being invited) makes me realise that my work is good and people who are interested in the type of work I’m doing recognise the value,” she said. “So from a personal professional perspective, it’s just a reinforcement that I’m on the right track.” Brown, who leaves on Saturday, can’t wait to start networking.

“It was exciting when I realised what the programme was,” she said. “We’re going to five cities across the US, to some really interesting projects.” Brown will be visiting Washington, DC, Boston, Louisville, Seattle and San Francisco. She said she will be asking many questions as we are at a critical stage in social enterprise in Jamaica.

“There are a lot of questions I have, because social enterprise is an emerging field in Jamaica. We’re leading on, but that doesn’t mean we know everything,” she said. “I want to go and see what’s happening in the States. My colleagues, the people that are coming on the trip with me, are all from developing countries, so I also want to know what are the best practices in developing countries.” Other countries in the social enterprise group include Mongolia, Bolivia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Community work

Trinidad and Tobago-born Brown has been involved in social intervention and community development projects for years, having previously worked at the Kingston Restoration Company after leaving the University of the West Indies, Mona. Brown also had a two-year stint working with housing and regeneration programmes in east London.

“And every time I would come back to Jamaica from my holiday, each project that I had worked on prior … they were closing shop,” she said. “I said to myself, this cannot be the right way to do social interventions because, if you cannot change something permanently, then you really haven’t changed it.” So, when she returned to Jamaica, she felt the social programming being done in the island at the JN Foundation had to focus on the social enterprise model. This led to SEBI’s launch, which has aided and spawned numerous entities, positively affecting the lives of Jamaicans.

After the IVLP period ends, Brown hopes to return with a number of recommendations, ideas and suggestions to propel Jamaica’s social enterprise sector forward. She also wants to forge new partnerships with international entities. She sees benefits not just for the local social enterprise model, but also the wider JN Foundation.

“We are a developmental organisation and I think having access to study visits and seeing what’s happening is hugely important,” she said, noting she will be keeping a blog to record. “We are also going to be doing a lot on corporate social responsibility. Let’s see what the big boys are doing in the US and let’s see what we can apply here.”

Since its inception in 1940, nearly 200,000 distinguished international visitors have participated in the IVLP.

daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150807/jn-foundations-saffrey-brown-prestigious-trip

The inaugural Jamaica National Building Society (JN) Foundation Heroes in Action 5K Run/Walk, which will be staged on Sunday, October 18, starting from the Falmouth Pier, Trelawny, has received an official endorsement from the parish’s most famous son, 100 and 200 metres sprint world record holder, Usain Bolt.

Earl Jarrett, chairman of the JN Foundation and general manager of Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), says the event is being held as part of the 141st anniversary celebration of Jamaica National and illustrates a continued commitment to rural development by the organisation.

significant location

“Our choice of Falmouth as the backdrop of our first 5K event is significant as the town’s place as a historic capital in Jamaica “has been solidified by the fact that it had piped water before New York City and still stands as one of the Caribbean’s most well preserved Georgian styled towns, with its rich architectural detail.”

The event, which is targeted to raise funds for the Granville Place of Safety for girls, located in Garrick Foyle, Trelawny will contribute to the construction of a building, which will house a classroom, a media library and sewing room.

Jarrett acknowledged that the endorsement of the event by Bolt and the Usain Bolt Foundation is a positive indicator of the constructive impact that the event is expected to have, “not only on the lives of the residents of the Granville; but, also in the town of Falmouth and the parish of Trelawny.”

“Usain has championed the pursuit of excellence throughout his dynamic, world class track and field career; and, has demonstrated his willingness not only to be a positive role model; but, also, to give back to his community in meaningful ways. We are, therefore, pleased that he has chosen to partner with the Foundation in the 5k event in Trelawny,” he said.

For his part, Usain Bolt said “I am always happy to be a part of any positive venture that gives back to my parish. I know the people of not only Trelawny; but, the entire Jamaica will come out and support the 5K.”

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20150814/bolt-supports-jn-foundations-heroes-action-5k

BUFF Bay Primary, in the town of the same name in the parish of Portland, has walked away with the top prize for recording the most improvement in its management and academic performance during year one of the JN Foundation’s iLead education leadership programme.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the Altamont Court Hotel in New Kingston, recently.

“All the schools showed tremendous progress over the past year. However, Buff Bay stood out as an exemplary team, implementing various administrative, teaching and learning strategies, which have impacted positively on discipline and punctuality, as well as student performance,” said Dr Renee Rattray, director of education programmes at JN Foundation.

“The schools, including Buff Bay, still have a far way to go to improve the quality of their leadership, management and student performance. However, the incremental successes and enthusiasm has been impressive,” Dr Rattray added.

Buff Bay is one five schools in the iLead programme, which was designed, in tandem with the Ministry of Education, to build leadership capacity and improve student performance through improved teaching; and create an enhanced school environment.

The other participating schools are Brimmer Vale High, Islington High, and Port Maria Primary, all in St Mary; and Robert Lightbourne High in St Thomas. They have all recorded significant improvements in management and leadership, which have impacted student performance.

“Since September we’ve implemented a Turnaround Plan for the school leadership that has been influencing the school’s culture and impacting teaching and learning,” Acting Principal of Buff Bay Primary, June Dobbs disclosed.

“This plan resulted in a change of attitude in both our administrators and educators. It also included the parent body, as they were sensitised through the Parent Teachers’ Association about the new policies being implemented and the role they could play,” she stated.

The strategies had particular impact on punctuality and numeracy and literacy levels. Overall, literacy improved by some 40 per cent among grade four students. More than 15 students of the cohort, which also sat the Grade Six Achievement Test, scored above 92 per cent across all subject areas this year.

“More accountability is taking place,” Dobbs noted.

“Our middle managers, who are our senior teachers with supervisory roles, are more cognisant of the fact that I am a part of the management team; and, my role is to see that plans put in place are being implemented, not to watch them being put into place and to criticise,” she continued.

“More importance was given to punctuality, as staff members realised that managing time matters, and everyone needed to respond to the bell and get to class on time,” Mrs Dobbs explained.

She said planning sessions have also been strengthened; consequently, the time allotted to sessions were extended, so that teachers have more time to share ideas with each other, based on observation and data.

The four other schools in the iLead Programme also received awards. Robert Lightbourne High received an award for effectively engaging its stakeholders through a town hall meeting; Islington High was awarded for being the school which was best at leveraging its community stakeholders. Brimmer Vale High was awarded for the turnaround in school culture; and, Port Maria High recognised for its use of data to improve overall student achievement.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buff-Bay-Leads_19223860
 

It was a memorable first day for 30 students who turned up for The Source Savanna-la-Mar one-week summer camp recently.

The students were privy to an exclusive opportunity to meet United States Ambassador to Jamaica Luis G. Moreno.

Organised by Peace Corps volunteer Jordan Waldschmidt, the ambassador addressed the students and participated in an interactive question-and-answer session, as well as a photo opportunity.

Incoming grade-seven student at Frome Technical High School Beatrice Cummings described the visit as “unforgettable”.

“I really feel good because I got to meet Ambassador Moreno. I enjoyed the way he spoke to us and the interesting things he shared about his love for Jamaica, as well as his responsibilities as a United States ambassador. He seems like a fun person,” said Cummings.

Moreno said the moment resonated well with him, and he recalled his early involvement in summer camps as a student and teacher. He implored the students to gain as much international exposure to enhance their marketability and skills to build their country as possible.

“Go and discover the world. Study abroad if you can, and come back to Jamaica with solid experiences and international exposure. It is nothing like going back to where you are from, to give back and share what you know and have learned, to uplift your community, peers and country.”

beautiful people

Spending more than 30 years travelling around the world, Ambassador Moreno struck a chord with the students when he cited Jamaica as being one of the nicest places he has ever worked.

“The best thing about Jamaica is the people, and when they smile, you know it is real. Some parts of the world, you don’t really know what that smile means and what they want to do,” he said.

“People say Jamaica is so beautiful, with its beaches and mountains, and when I was assigned to Jamaica, I made a vow to visit every single Peace Corps project that I could, and all the parishes in Jamaica, to be able to see the island and to interact with the people. The most important natural resource Jamaica has is the people, especially you, the young people,” he said.

A participant in the JN Foundation’s Social Enterprise Boost Initiative, The Source Savanna-la-Mar is a community-based and operated resource centre, that promotes educational and professional advancement of students and adults based on its offerings and ease of accessibility.

Julien Pringle, centre administrator, said the ambassador’s visit was the perfect start to the summer camp. Incorporating presentations from influential persons, along with arts and academic subjects taught by volunteers, the summer camp has been greatly anticipated by students for the last three years.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150819/us-ambassador-moreno-visits-source-savanna-la-mar

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. — Aristotle.

The hustle and bustle associated with a new academic year is here. However, to a great extent, the 2015/2016 academic year will commence similar to previous years beset by myriad fixable problems. It bears thought that, as a society, we have become satisfied with mediocrity. This is evident in our continuation to celebrate pockets of excellence scattered across all 14 parishes, three counties, and six regions of Jamaica’s education system. Disturbingly, there has been a gradual decrease in our pockets of excellence. This is unacceptable and clearly indicates that we need to become proactive in order to improve Jamaica’s education system.

The gravity of Jamaica’s education system is documented in the 2014 National Education Inspectorate (NEI) report which stated that more than 60 per cent of the country’s primary and secondary schools are failing in their education delivery to the nation’s children. As a result, more and more of our students continue to leave high school unprepared for the world of work or unable to matriculate to the tertiary level. This feeds Jamaica’s youth employment rate of 33.3 per cent. Clearly, this is a recipe for crime.

The genesis of the phenomenon of failing schools in the society lies with poor leadership and a lack of accountability. Sadly, too many of our school administrators are merely perfunctory leaders without the zeal and zest for human capacity formation. Added to this dilemma is the fact that we have a relatively weak middle management structure of senior teachers across most schools. According to Dr Renee Rattray, director of education programmes at the Jamaica National Foundation, “Many of the middle managers are promoted to positions of seniority without adequate preparation.” This is clearly a flaw in our education system and one that urgently needs to be remedied. There needs to be on-the-job training and workshops for those who are selected as senior teachers. Probably we need to examine how senior teachers are promoted in the first instance. It is an open secret that the promotion of senior teachers is based largely on the fancy of school administrators. In many instances senior teachers are lacking in the area of professionalism and many lack integrity and therefore are poor examples for their junior colleagues. This practice continues to frustrate the education system. The continued practice of principals’ pets becoming senior teachers is driving many talented and young teachers from the classroom.

Our policymakers and educators need to keep abreast of best practices and teaching trends elsewhere. It is rather troubling that a significant number of our students are leaving high schools without the necessary skill sets to critically analyse situations and arrive at solutions.

Jamaica could benefit by examining a different educational model such as the Waldorf Education which was founded by Austrian-born Rudolf Steiner, who was an educator, scientist and philosopher. Waldorf education is based on an understanding that the key to developing problem-solving skills for the 21st century is an active imagination and a commitment to pursuing one’s purpose in life. The Waldorf curriculum carefully balances academic, artistic, and practical activities to stimulate the imagination and prepare the students for life. Rather than relying on rote memorisation of standardised information, Waldorf education seeks to engage the whole child in the learning process. Our students need to view education as a seamless patchwork connecting all subjects, instead of compartmentalising the offering of the various subjects.

With the Waldorf model every subject is taught artistically, using movement, drawing, painting, music, storytelling, and rhythm; teachers bring the material to life and endow the developing child with a lifelong sense of wonder and a joy of learning. Whether our students become anthropologists or police officers, mathematicians or musicians, the creative capacities developed through a Waldorf education will give students the foundation they require to be successful and adapt to changing circumstances.

Interestingly, once you enter a Waldorf school you are struck by the care given to the school plant. The walls are usually painted in lively colours and adorned with student artwork. As a society we have paid little attention to the colour schemes of our schools despite the research that highlights benefits that bright and lively colours have on the teaching/learning process. Clearly, the Waldorf approach to education is student-centred and this serves to empower and motivate students as well as assist in their capacity to develop a yearning for lifelong learning.

Teachers using this model exhibit much enthusiasm, as teaching is presented in a pictorial and dynamic manner. This approach reduces the need for competitive testing. The Waldorf curriculum is broad and all encompassing covering three phases: from birth to age seven, from age seven to 14 years, and from 14 to age 18. We need to find a mixture of educational models that best fit the complexities of Jamaica’s educational landscape. This model must be consultative in scope and nature and must involved all stakeholders.

One important stakeholder we must have on board are the parents. They must become more involved in their children’s education. Data show that parents who spend quality time to monitor and offer support to their children’s school are rewarded by better returns on their investment. The ongoing gang violence in some areas will undoubtedly impact negatively on schools located in and around the vicinity. Those schools will require much support from the Education Ministry for their staff, and especially for those traumatised students. We can only hope that the Ministry of Education will be proactive and put in place the necessary support systems to facilitate a smooth opening of the new school year. We are at a critical juncture in our development especially as Jamaica recently celebrated 53 years of political independence. A well educated and skilled workforce is vital for us to have sustainable development and to pull ourselves out of the economic crisis in which we find ourselves. All hands are needed on deck to turn around Jamaica’s pockets of excellence to a widespread increase in the delivery of educational outcomes regardless of school. We are all accountable to the children of Jamaica. This academic year, let us draw inspiration from our athletes who recently competed at the 15th IAAF World Championships. It takes a team effort, dedication and commitment to reap success.

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. — Malcolm X

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and gender issues. Send comments to the Observer or waykam@yahoo.com.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/A-new-approach-to-educating-the-nation-s-youth_19226673