Community Literacy Initiative Launched in St. Thomas

A community-driven initiative aimed at improving literacy and empowering residents in St. Thomas commenced on August 1 with the staging of the inaugural St. Thomas Literacy Forum, at the Anglican Church Hall in Morant Bay.

The forum marked the first phase of a three-tiered programme conceptualised by St. Thomas native and Jamaican diaspora member, Cleous Young, who has resided in the United States for the past 32 years.

Held under the theme, ‘Awareness, Interest and Results (AIR)’, the event was described as a community celebration of literacy, freedom, heritage and future possibilities.

Mr. Young explained that the forum represents the first step in a broader vision designed to foster a culture of literacy, while creating opportunities for personal and community development.

“We’re starting off with what is called an awareness [session]… moving forward we’re going to move into what is called interest or investment, and then we’re going to look at what is called results,” he said.

He noted that the initiative is the fulfilment of a vision he has held for approximately two decades.

“It’s a vision that’s been around for about 20 years of wanting to really do something for the parish,” Mr. Young shared.

He said his goal is to contribute to his hometown in a more sustainable way than the traditional forms of support often associated with members of the diaspora.

“The idea of us going to… [live overseas] is we go over there, we make a better life and we send back money, clothes [and] food… . I didn’t want to follow that pattern, I wanted to do something that could really help the parish,” he added.

Mr. Young explained that the initiative gained momentum following an encounter in October 2025 with Deandra Grant, a young woman from the parish who expressed her desire to become a social worker, while establishing a literacy programme to assist her community.

The conversation inspired the launch of the project, with Mr. Young now serving as Miss Grant’s mentor.

Addressing participants, he emphasised that literacy extends beyond the ability to read and write, describing it as a tool for intellectual and personal growth.

“Literacy is not just that you’re able to read and write; it’s that you’re able to function on a higher level with your life,” he said.

“Literacy works with your third eye. When you start to read, you’re not just reading on the concept of the physical eyes anymore. Your brain is now connecting to a higher level,” he added.

Mr. Young further encouraged participants to recognise the relationship between literacy, thought processes and life outcomes.

“When you’re reading… you’re seeing the words and the letters, you’re connecting to your thoughts. That’s why you can read a story and feel good afterwards or you could feel bad emotionally because it’s connecting to your thoughts and your feelings,” he said.

“Whatever you’re thinking, that’s what you’re going to produce in life. What you’re thinking is based on what you’re feeling and what you’re feeling is based on what you’re seeing or you’re hearing,” he added.

The forum also featured audience engagement through a question-and-answer segment, theatrical performances by Panthers In Motion Dance team and Morant Bay Primary School Dancers along with presentations by notable community members.

Attorney-at-law Bertram Anderson delivered a presentation titled ‘The Cost of Literacy’; historian Earl Graham spoke on ‘The History of Fighting for Literacy’, and literary specialist Ann-Marie Lewis explored the significance of reading and lifelong learning in a presentation titled ‘Why Literacy Matters’.