Emerson Benjamin Turns A New Leaf

Resident of Majesty Gardens in Kingston, Emerson Benjamin, is now embarking on a new path of empowering youths within his community to stay away from crime and violence.

After overcoming the lowest point in his life in 2022, Mr. Benjamin, along with his business partner, Nigel Francis, is now mentoring 13 youths, through his Positive Impact Foundation.

“I try to mentor and show them where I’m coming from and where I’m going now,” he said.

Through his foundation, he is also seeking to assist the elderly, provide aid to burn-victims, as well as start a chicken farm involving the youth.

Mr. Benjamin is a beneficiary of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Local Partner Development (LPD) project, implemented by FHI360.

Over a six-year period, LPD and its collaborators joined forces to test, adapt, and implement evidence-based approaches to prevent youth crime and violence, by building the resilience of more than 650 at-risk youth across Jamaica through vocational training, livelihood opportunities, and psychosocial support.

The 31-year-old was introduced to the project in 2022, where he participated in life skills training and received his HVAC certification, which has allowed him to instal, repair and maintain heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units.

Mr. Benjamin said the opportunity changed his mindset from engaging in negative activities and gave him a new chance at life.

He told JIS News that he is aiming to “build something different for the community that’s plagued with violence”.

“It took me a lot to be here… I had to drop a lot of friends, even family, but it’s for my better. I can’t be going forward and still looking on the past, so I am so appreciative for where I am right now,” he said.

Another beneficiary, Sammaire Petgrave, was born into a family engaged in gang violence in Glendevon in Montego Bay.

Speaking during the LPD closing ceremony, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston recently, the 25-year-old disclosed that he was faced with the choice of joining the gang or changing course during a period of active war in the community.

His choice, he noted, was greatly influenced after meeting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, during a community visit in 2022.

“Dr. Chang saw four of us in the lane [and] he asked why this (the feud) is going on, and I approached him, because a lot of persons look from a distance and just assume and judge but never really come inside to ask what’s really going on,” he stated.

He said the Minister introduced him to the USAID FHI360 initiative during that interaction.

“I always hear a lot of persons say they can feel when death is close to them and at that moment, I feel like I was getting close and I made the decision to try the programme,” he disclosed.

Although he dropped out of the certification process to become a licensed commercial truck driver due to a lack of funds for his transportation to classes, among other factors, Mr. Petgrave said the life skills training he was exposed to, helped him to remain on a positive path.

He currently works in housekeeping at the Hyatt Zilara Resort in Montego Bay.

“It has helped me, and it helps a lot of persons in the community, and we have been going strong. At the hotel, I have become one of the best agents. Sometimes with a helping hand and a listening ear, anything is possible,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Dr. Chang, said the Ministry will seek to expand the use of methods that worked under the programme, alongside local efforts, to reduce violence among the nation’s youth.

“The agency (the Planning Institute of Jamaica) has done some outstanding work in terms of social and demographic surveys and investigations across the country, and it is there they’ve identified over the years, just over 100 communities, which are considered vulnerable in terms of violence and development of crime,” he pointed out.

The National Security Minister added that schools and community-based institutions located in these communities will require extraordinary support to serve in these areas.

For her part, Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, said that communities play a “crucial role in shaping the social and physical environment in which young people grow up”.

“Communities are the first line or should be the first line of defence against negative influences and should be able to provide critical support and guidance,” she stated.

Overall, the six-year project resulted in a record-breaking achievement of 57 per cent of youth reducing their risk level in the areas of antisocial tendencies, impulsive risk-taking and anger management, among others.

Chief of Party for the LPD Project, Morana Smodlaka Krajnovic noted that the average risk reduction among youth in Latin America and the Caribbean is usually at 40 per cent.

While lauding Jamaica’s achievement, she emphasised that intentional support was provided to each youth on a case-by-case basis.

“They did not all go through the same interventions because they didn’t need all the same interventions. Some of them needed substance abuse counselling [or] literacy and numeracy support. So, we truly were delivering interventions based on individual needs,” she said.

Approximately 35 organisations collaborated with the LPD in developing a case management methodology, which involves a comprehensive process of assessing and coordinating services to target high-risk youths.

Some 654 youths and adults were mentored in life skills, 346 received psychological therapy, 289 were trained in vocational skills, 140 received business development training and grants and 109 were employed under the project.

It is expected that the relevant stakeholders will use these methodologies and research findings to better inform local policymaking and intervention decisions.