Social Services Manager at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Gresford Bennett, says the entity has pumped more than $300 million into its Alternative Livelihood Skills Development Programme (ALSDP), which channels social interventions for unattached youth. The ALSDP targets close to 6,000 youth in 18 underserved communities across seven parishes, and provides training in different areas, including event production, film,...

Thirty-two young persons from inner-city communities in Central and Western Jamaica have been trained and certified in event production, under a partnership between the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and M-Academy. They were presented with their certificates at a graduation ceremony, held on Monday (December 16), at Grandiosa Hotel, Montego Bay, St. James. The participants, drawn from violence-prone communities in...

The number of youngsters afforded the opportunity to enjoy the Prime Minister’s annual Christmas treat for children has more than doubled since its inception in 2016. The event, which started with about 500 children at Vale Royal, the Prime Minister’s official residence, has increased and now caters to as many as 2,000 youngsters. This prompted the organisers to relocate the...

State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, has welcomed the opportunity for local teachers to be better trained in the delivery of French to their students. “We recognise that if our youth are truly to move forward… if they are to continue to lead, inspire and transform their world, then they must be able to speak in...

Sixth-form Supervisor at Oberlin High School in St. Andrew, Everton Leslie, is highlighting the need for increased measures to effectively address bullying in schools. He suggested the staging of fora where students from across the island can be sensitised about the issue, while giving victims an avenue to speak up about what they have suffered. Mr. Leslie, who was addressing...

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is seeking to have 50 wards of the State engaged in meaningful work by March 2020, under its Transition to Work Programme for children in State care. This was noted by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, at the agency’s eighth annual Educational Achievement Awards Ceremony, held at the...

Thirty-three young men and women from communities across the island are better equipped to obtain employment, having graduated from the adult literacy and social skills intervention programme under the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) III. The graduation exercise was held on December 5 at the Sagicor Auditorium, St. Andrew, where participants were presented with certificates and special awards for...