Two hundred and forty care packages, valued at more than $600,000, have been distributed to the families of needy students who attend the Chalky Hill Primary and Infant School in St. Ann, as well as vulnerable residents of the community, through a joint initiative between the school’s administration and its alumni. The care packages were distributed to assist individuals in...

Like thousands of students across the island, and millions around the world, 14-year-old Campion College student, Jordan Taffe, is adjusting to the new reality of going to school at home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. No longer having to endure a daily commute, he wakes up on time for his first class at 8:00 a.m., turns on his laptop and...

Over the years, the Jamaica 4-H Clubs has emerged as the leading organisation supporting youth in agriculture through its initiatives. Business and Entrepreneurship Development Manager, Villet Kelly-Bennett, tells JIS News that the organisation has been assisting a number of young people in starting up or expanding their agribusinesses. One channel through this is being facilitated is the Rural Youth Economic...

Seventy-four students of the Mount Pleasant Primary and Infant School in Portland have received care packages from the institution for Child Month, which is being observed in May. Principal of the school, Dian Vidal Briggs, told JIS News that the packages were purchased with donations that overseas Jamaicans and persons in and around the community gave. This was a response...

Expectant teen Ann Buckley* is grateful for the care packages provided to beneficiaries of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF), who are facing challenges due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The 15-year-old tells JIS News that she was made aware of the distribution by one of her classmates, and on Thursday (April 2), even though she had a maternity...

The Portland-based Mount Pleasant Primary and Infant School, through its Giving Hands Foundation, is reaching out to less fortunate persons in the community. Through funds donated by staff members, food and other essential items are purchased and distributed to individuals in need. Founder of the group and guidance counsellor at the school, Andrea Farquharson, tells JIS News that students play...

Youth Mayor for St. Ann’s Bay, Bobby Francis, is using his platform to encourage more young people to get involved in politics in order to have their voices heard on national issues. The head boy and sixth-form student at York Castle High School, tells JIS News that youth participation in the country’s decision-making is critical to national development. He says he wants young...

Starting a full-service digital media agency was nowhere near Alex Morrissey’s mind when he obtained his Industrial Design degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Now seven years in as a young entrepreneur, the Founder and Director of Esirom Limited finds fulfilment in providing a space where skills in the creative industry can be nurtured, while at...

As a student of Ferris Primary School in Westmoreland, international gospel artiste Kevin Downswell would look forward to a daily snack provided by the school under the National School-Feeding Programme. For the young man, who grew up in very humble circumstances, the modest snack was his only sustenance while at school. “I was living... in Smithfield – Cabbage Tree to...