A young girl beams with joy while enjoying the see-saw with the support of Digicel Foundation CEO Charmaine Daniels at the Early Stimulation Plus Development Centre in Kingston on Wednesday.
DIGICEL Foundation made ‘Play Day’ extra special for the children at the Early Stimulation Plus Development Centre in Rockfort, Kingston, by spending a morning engaging in games and fun activities.
February has been designated as Play Month by the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), a celebration endorsed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica Office.This year’s theme, ‘Bringing Back the Game of Play Through Traditional Games — Out of Many, One People,’ highlights the importance of play in early childhood development while embracing Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage.
During the visit, Digicel Foundation staff and board members joined the children in classic Jamaican games such as dandy shandy and hopscotch.In addition to the interactive play activities, the Digicel Foundation also donated crayons and colouring books to the school, providing the students with creative resources to support their learning and development.
Charmaine Daniels, CEO of Digicel Foundation, emphasised the significance of supporting institutions like the Early Stimulation Plus Development Centre.“The Early Stimulation Plus Development Centre is dear to us, as it is one of the 21 special needs schools we renovated a few years ago. Play is an essential part of childhood development, and we are delighted to be part of this initiative that brings joy, inclusion, and learning to these children,” said Daniels.
She pointed out that the Digicel Foundation has been a longstanding advocate for children with disabilities, investing over US$11.8 million in special needs initiatives across Jamaica since inception.
Our hearts hurt each time we hear of the tragic deaths or abuse of children.
Our hearts hurt each time we hear of the tragic deaths or abuse of children and the elderly, the vulnerable members of the Jamaican family.
There are individuals and groups looking out for them, babysitting for their neighbours, carpooling, and hosting homework centres. However, as we have been reminded repeatedly, criminals are still being harboured, left free to visit violence on our innocents.
The majority of Jamaicans, decent law-abiding people, will now need to step up and protect our children and elderly. Those who fear speaking up against criminals in their midst can speak to their pastors or guidance counsellors who can act as intermediaries with law enforcement. Parent-teacher associations and church groups can offer transportation for schoolchildren. Father Jim Bok in Negril held a fund-raiser to purchase a bus which takes disadvantaged children to and from school every day.
We must also examine why there have been such cold-hearted crimes against children; how could we have bred such evil hearts? For over 30 years WMW Jamaica (formerly Women’s Media Watch) has been warning about the extreme violence in movies and on television. We saw this becoming even more dangerous with the advent of violent video games absorbing our children, desensitising them to the harm unfolding on their screens.
We saw the rise in the number of ‘barrel children’, left behind by parents seeking better jobs abroad to support their families. They may have received monetary support, but in some instances lacked the parental guidance to be disciplined and responsible.
Children need to be nurtured. Throwing an iPad to them while you play on yours will result in antisocial behaviour. Conversing with children, worshipping with them, reading to them, taking them out of the house for recreational activities will make a world of difference to their socialisation. We cannot have a “kinder, gentler nation”, as was envisioned by the elder former US President Bush, if our children do not have that level of care.
Those of us who were blessed to have caring parents and guardians will have to take mentorship seriously. Children who may not have guidance at home will benefit from a structured mentorship programme: weekly phone calls, monthly meetings, outings from time to time. This is how children will feel that they matter, that you have their backs, build their self-esteem and confidence. It is not by coincidence that one of our gangs call themselves the Fatherless Crew.
We welcome the news from Colette Roberts Risden, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security that salaries for social workers have more than doubled and there are 50 new vacancies to be filled. She was responding to a statement from Member of Parliament Mikael Phillips, chair of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), calling for more social workers for the administration of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).
The anger and dysfunction in our country are paraded every day on social media. Our politicians and the security forces cannot address this on their own. It is the responsibility of every decent adult to join with the voluntary bodies at school, church, or in the community to help even one suffering child.
Increasingly, the elderly have become victims of brutal crimes.
The call for overseas workers
Richard Pandohie’s recent contribution to the recruitment of overseas employees in a media interview generated more light and less heat in the current debate on the subject.
The Seprod Group CEO said that for his company such an action would be for a limited period so that his workers could be apprenticed to such an individual and be trained to take over that position
Pandohie also noted that there is a punctuality and productivity issue, primarily with male workers. He said a great deal of productive time is taken up with mediation as many were not able to settle their differences and conflicts escalate. President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) Sydney Thwaites called for the training of young people in the soft skills needed for them to be cooperative team players.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck believes that our tourism workers should be better paid. He recalled a conversation with a worker in the industry who said that his wage could not cover the cost of commuting so he left the job.
With so much dissonance, we believe the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) could assist with data on wages in the various industries and the reasons many jobs advertised are not being taken up.
AFJ celebrates 40 years
This year’s gala held by the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) has raised nearly US$1 million, all of which will go to grantees in Jamaica who are involved in transformative programmes. It is no wonder they gained so much support, as the honorees were stars of business and philanthropy: Danny Wegman, Paula Kerr-Jarrett Wegman, Sheresse Clarke Soars, and Janice Hart.
We remember when former US ambassadors Sue and Charles Cobb, Pamela Bridgewater, Brenda Johnson, Glen Holden, and J Gary Cooper joined together to continue their support of the Jamaican people. Along their 40-year journey they were joined by AFJ board directors Wendy Hart, James Cada, Monica Ladd, Chris Ohrstrom, Paula Campbell Roberts, Barron Channer, Glenn Creamer, Pat Falkenberg, Sarah Hsia, Kathleen Newman, Radford W Klotz, and Caron Chung. Congratulations to AFJ on its milestone anniversary. It has brought hope to many lives and joy with its fantastic fund-raisers.
Applications for funding can be sent via the AFJ website, theafj.org.
Farewell, Sister Theresa Lowe-Ching
Sister Theresa Lowe-Ching
The Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica are mourning the passing of one of their most brilliant nuns, theologian Sister Theresa Lowe Ching, PhD, formerly Sister Mary Donna, who taught us Latin at Convent of Mercy Academy “Alpha”.
Sister Terry, as we fondly called her, was a beloved lecturer at St Michael’s College & Seminary and The University of the West Indies. She was instrumental in the formation of her fellow sisters as well as the associates of the Sisters of Mercy.
Sister was a visionary and a keen planner, who took on the amazing journey of the creation of the Alpha Mercy Museum in collaboration with Mercy Jamaica administrator Sister Susan Frazer. She requested a special wall on which all the Sisters of Mercy who had served in Jamaica would be memorialised. It was a joy that she was present at the unveiling last December.
Our associates of the Sisters of Mercy leader Marcia Thwaites shared, “I recall how she abhorred ‘clericalism’, a topic that the recent church synod addressed. She felt that women had a lot to contribute and felt it was unwise for the Church to operate ‘with one hand tied behind its back’.”
Mercy associate Sheryl Reid wrote, “Sister Terry was indeed a gentle giant of a theologian. She pioneered registering a master’s degree programme in Catholic theology. It got off the ground but was discontinued a few years later when she retired. I will miss her good counsel.”
Deepest sympathy to Sister Terry’s family and the Mercy community. May she rest in eternal peace.
The 2023/2024 academic year starts on September 4. Joseph wellington
Technologyhas been a godsend for parents and children. Toddlers can be seen reading, singing along, and doing simple arithmetic via games before they even begin preschool.
As we hear parents complaining about the expensive booklists to get their children ready for “September morning”, we believe that more textbooks should be available online, although we understand that some workbooks may still have to be bought.
We welcome the news from Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams that her ministry will be holding sensitisation sessions to promote greater use of e-books. She posted on social media, “The biggest advantage of e-textbooks is the ability to include videos, animations, and simulations to help students understand complex concepts and make learning more fun.”
This sent me back to a lecture in 2017 by Edie Weiner, founder and CEO of Future Hunters. I share here revised excerpts from my column in April 2017 on her look at education.
Weiner turned to the hot topic of education, reminding us that the brain grows fastest before the age of three and that it is ridiculous that after being exposed to iPads and smartphones children are then taken to schools that are still using the same system that was designed for their grandparents. This was actually quoted at the finale of the Education Enrichment Programme, which, with the support of the then Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; USAID; and the Digicel Foundation, covered 104 schools, improving the literacy and numeracy of 43,000 primary school students.
The enrichment centres in 43 schools, which are heavy on information technology and bright visuals, particularly attractive to boys, have turned unenthusiastic students into high achievers. This was reinforced by Weiner as she demonstrated the difference between the way that male and female brains develop and what stimulates this development.
Weiner predicted a dramatic transformation in the delivery of education. According to her, information technology will make education available to millions in experiential forms. Therefore, she says, “critical thinking is the most important thing we can teach our young people”.
She says that all of this recent technology is creating disruption. “In future,” she says, “no one will be paying for ‘smart’, only ‘intelligent’. This is the kind of intelligence that will enable you to figure out things that you have never seen before.”
She suggested that university students should not major in any one thing but take multi-disciplinary courses and challenge themselves to see the connection. The Antiguan student who sat all 26 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects seems to have been on the right track.
While we need to limit the time our children spend on gaming, we should note that there is a brand new category of sports called e-sports. Wiener said that video games are evolving into competitive events, one of which was held in California, attracting 35 million online viewers. She said that universities will shortly be recruiting students who excel at e-sports for their teams.
IGT’s After School Advantage Programme, Digicel Foundation, and NCB Foundation this summer sponsored coding and robotics camps, gearing our children to make the best use of technology, learning how to create websites and apps that can create a better planet.
Let us allow our children to transition to the new school term, making use of technology to give them the best chance at navigating this Fourth Industrial Revolution described thus by the World Economic Forum (WEF): “The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work, and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second, and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril.”
“The speed, breadth, and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value, and even what it means to be human. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policymakers, and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future. The real opportunity is to look beyond technology and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organisations, and communities.”
The gift of technology is that regardless of the size of one’s country, the tools are there to help us stand shoulder-to-shoulder with leading professionals anywhere in the world. Let us seize the day.
Running for worthy causes
MBJ/TEAMSANGSTER 2022 5K winners Brandon Kerr (left) and Danielle Terrier
MBJ Airports Limited/Team Sangster raised $4.5 million last year from their run-walk, which went in entirety to academic grants for primary, secondary, and tertiary students. They are back again on Sunday, September 10, with generous sponsors stepping up to give great prizes: airline tickets from JetBlue, Spirit, and Virgin airlines; as well as weekend stays at Couples Resorts, Hyatt, Hilton, Zoetry, and S Hotel; and day passes at Royalton Luxury Resorts. Additional prizes include Chukka Adventure Tour excursions; tablets from Digicel; gift baskets from Tortuga, Reggae Mart, and CPJ; and gifts from the Airports Authority of Jamaica and MBJ Airports Limited. Participants will be refreshed after the race with breakfast, courtesy of Express Catering Limited, Goddard Catering Group, VIP Attractions Limited, and CPJ beverage station and will also be able to enjoy an after-race massage.
Deadline for registration is this Wednesday, September 6. The fee is $2,000 for adults and $1,500 for children. Participants will have the option to register for a 5/10K run or 5K walk, which will run from the commercial pickup area at the Sangster International Airport to Flanker/Whitehouse.
Meanwhile, Bert’s Auto Parts has partnered with Food For the Poor Jamaica in its 4oth anniversary Build Back the Love house-building programme. The Build with Bert’s 5K will be held on Sunday, October 1 at Emancipation Park, with the target of US$49,000, the cost of building 10 houses.
Marketing Manager Waynette Strachan noted that the company has been giving back over the years in appreciation of the support from their fellow Jamaicans. I can attest to that as Bert’s is a kind discount partner of CCRP.
Andrea Williams-McKenzie honoured with CBE
King Charles converses with Andrea Williams-McKenzie, CBE after her investiture.
Our family was delighted to learn that Andrea Williams-McKenzie was invested with the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by King Charles III earlier this year at Windsor Castle.
A human resource development specialist, Williams-McKenzie has led significant projects for the Government. One of the most challenging was leading the workforce planning, resourcing, and training to support all UK borders for the 2012 Olympics, an unqualified success.
Williams-McKenzie volunteers widely. She was a school foundation governor for her church parish, chair of governors for the parish Roman Catholic primary school, and a Eucharistic minister. She has been volunteering at the winter homeless shelter and in other community activities.
Williams-McKenzie has joined the ranks of famous individuals who have been invested with the CBE, such as Stephen Hawking, Harold Pinter, Hugh Laurie, Jonny Wilkinson, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Jamaica Highlights 