Jamaica National Service Corps Soldiers Giving Back

The Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) soldiers are giving back to society through engagement in outreach projects to benefit the community, particularly vulnerable groups.

The objective is to make a positive impact through service.

The ninth JNSC intake, which graduated in June 4, hosted two blood-donation drives during their one-year training period, contributing 250 units of the potentially life-saving commodity, which is particularly vital during the pandemic.

The blood drives involved partnership with the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS).

The soldiers also brought cheer to the 50 boys at the St. Catherine-based Sunbeam Children’s Home, providing the youngsters with bun and cheese during the Easter period and spending quality time with them.

“The presence was inspirational for the boys,” Manager at the Home, Desmond Whitley, told JIS News.

He said that the visit, held in keeping with the coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety protocols, was a welcomed break for the boys, whom he noted, have been facing restrictions due to the pandemic.

He said that the boys could relate to many of the stories told by the soldiers during the visit, as many of them faced similar challenges in their upbringing.

Mr. Whitley lauded the soldiers for seeing “it as their duty to give back to the less fortunate”.

“Humanity is better when one helps the other; our world will be a better place when those of us who can, help those who cannot,” he pointed out.

Commanding Officer for the Alpha Company at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Major Raymond Warren, told JIS News that the soldiers carried out the children’s home project through their own resources.

Major Warren reports that the soldiers also carried out beautification work on the JNSC’s grounds at Up Park Camp in St. Andrew.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in his address at the recent passing out ceremony for the ninth intake at Up Park Camp in St. Andrew, noted that the transformation of the JDF requires men and women within it ranks who not only desire to wear the uniform but, more importantly, “soldiers who understand the value of service to the nation”.

“Your transition to the regular force is not an accident, it is a testament to the courage, commitment, honesty and integrity that you have continuously displayed through the many hours of training, duties, and assignments,” he said.

“I urge you to continue to make the best of all the opportunities that will reveal themselves throughout the course of your career as members of the JDF. Lead from the front, and demonstrate to those around you, the value that lies in a career of service to your country,” the Prime Minister added.

The JNSC, which was conceptualised by Mr. Holness in 2016, targets young people ages 18 to 23, creating an avenue for them to be fully empowered through national service. It is structured to provide continual development over a one-year service period.

The objective is to develop a range of life skills and build sound character, in order to make persons more versatile and better equipped for success in their chosen career path.

Since May 2017, the JNSC has been the standard mode of enlistment for persons joining the JDF to serve as full-time soldiers.

Participants undergo 16 weeks of intense, basic training focused on military service knowledge, basic first aid, weapons handling, among other areas. For another eight months, they are engaged in military, vocational and broader life skills training, which will equip them for either an extended career in the JDF or engagement in other professional areas of interest.

At the end of the one-year period, the JDF will reserve the option of inviting persons to apply to enlist in the regular Force or the national reserves, based on the vacancies that exist in the Force at the time, and the suitability of the individuals based on their qualifications and aptitude as well as their performance and character while serving.

More than 4,000 youngsters have been engaged in the programme since its inception.