Diaspora Encouraged to Support Youth and Community Development

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Moy Crawford, is encouraging Jamaicans living overseas to play a more active role in national development by investing directly in young people and community institutions.

Speaking during a plenary session titled ‘Connecting, Engaging and Empowering the Youth Diaspora for National Development’, at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Tuesday (June 16), Ms. Crawford emphasised that meaningful contributions do not always need to be made through formal government programmes.

She maintained that diaspora members can make a meaningful difference by investing in schools, churches, community organisations, and young individuals in their home communities.

Ms. Crawford pointed out that although the Ministry offers several established youth-focused entities and programmes to facilitate support, Jamaicans overseas can also make a meaningful impact through personal acts of service and mentorship, emphasising that direct engagement at the community level can be equally transformative.

“You can help a struggling child, you can return to visit the basic school you attended and help to supply books or you can return to the church you attended,” she said.

Drawing on her upbringing in the Manchester community of Grey Ground, Ms. Crawford reflected on the role that neighbours, teachers, family members, and the church played in shaping her future.

She argued that Jamaica’s strong culture of community support remains one of its greatest assets and should be embraced by members of the diaspora looking to contribute meaningfully.

The State Minister further emphasised that nation-building requires a collective effort, noting that every Jamaican has a role to play in helping the next generation succeed.

“In the same way that, for many of us, Jamaica moulded us, poured into us, and made us who we are today, we must now identify young people and pour into them. We owe our success to the next generation,” Ms. Crawford said.