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KINGSTON — Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, has announced plans to begin staging Emancipation Jubilee celebrations in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, beginning this year. The annual event, she said, will be in addition to the customary July 31 festivities in Seville, St. Ann, which precede Emancipation Day on August 1. After being off the calendar of events...

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has reported substantial progress in preparing for the implementation of the Community Renewal Programme (CRP) this year. The CRP resulted from Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s mandate to the PIOJ to prepare a programme for long term stability and well-being, inclusive of violent and vulnerable communities and consistent with the goals of Vision 2030, following...

The pilot phase of the much anticipated Community Renewal Programme (CRP) could be rolled out as early as the end of March, according to officials at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The programme, which is being coordinated by the Institute, will address poor housing, poor infrastructure, weak community governance and the lack of coordination of social intervention programmes. The...

Community leaders from across the parish of St. Catherine on February 18 participated in a workshop aimed at promoting awareness of the Vision 2030 Jamaica national development plan and its various benefits. The workshop, held at the Social Development Commission (SDC) office in Spanish Town, was the penultimate session in an island-wide series organised by the Planning Institute of Jamaica...

RISE Life Management Services Limited is looking to expand its programmes to assist more at-risk youth and to extend its reach outside of the corporate area. “Because our focus is the at-risk youth and their family members, we would like to provide an opportunity for more and more young people, who are not able to get jobs on their own...

The deadline for submission of applications to the National Best Community Competition and Programme (NBCCP) is March 31, 2011. Chairperson of the National Steering Committee of the NBCCP, Jacqueline daCosta told JIS News that community groups are currently submitting applications for the competition. "We are getting in applications, which close at the end of March. I have about 160 applications....

The Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) have signed a US$15 million contract for the establishment of a community-based tourism policy. The policy, which is being implemented under the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) project, is funded by the World Bank and the Government of Jamaica through a US$15 million loan being invested over six years....

True community spirit was exemplified in the Caenwood Road area of Hope Bay, Portland on December 1, when four public benches were handed over to the community, by Returning Resident, Fredrecia Huggins. Making the presentation on the request of her late mother, Mary Thompson who died in 2009, at the age of 106, Mrs. Huggins said her mother was an...

In the small district of Golden Valley, St. Thomas, home to 350 households, a lone basic school and flagship structure bearing the name of the community for the past 40 years, is in danger of losing its status. The school has applied to the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) for a Certificate of Registration and has been inspected for recommendation, based...

The following roads will be closed to ensure the easy flow of traffic for the staging of the Independence Grand Gala 48th Anniversary celebration on Friday, August 6. Before the event the following roads will be operated as one-way:Arthur Wint Drive from Tom Redcam Drive to the National Stadium.Upper section of Arthur Wint Drive from Mountain View Avenue to access...

President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Milton Samuda, has said that downtown Kingston is returning to normal as businesses begin to resume operations. Speaking with JIS News this morning (May 28), Mr. Samuda informed that he worked from his office on Ocean Boulevard on Thursday (May 27), and several businesses were in operation. He said that more should...

The process of community development was extensively discussed at the Portland leg of the one-day Vision 2030 Symposium, held at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), in Portland, on February 16. Attended by representatives from a number of communities and community organisations in the parish, the session facilitated discussions on how the organisations can best contribute to parish...