Jamaica’s Second Teen Hub Opens in Morant Bay, St. Thomas

Children and adolescents in St. Thomas can now access a wide range of social, educational and health services in a safe and conducive space at the Teen Hub, which opened in the parish on Friday (June 9).

The facility, established by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, is the second of its kind in Jamaica, following the launch of the Kingston Hub at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre in 2017.

It will offer homework and research assistance, health screening/counselling including mental health support, career guidance, sexual and reproductive health services, among other things.

The Teen Hub project is funded by the European Union’s Spotlight Initiative, with implementation through the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica.

Speaking at the opening of the St. Thomas Teen Hub, at the facility’s location inside the Morant Bay Bus Park, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said that the $60-million undertaking is intended to provide another layer of assistance to youngsters in the parish.

He said it will buttress the support they are already receiving in school and at home and will address any gaps.

This, he said, is crucial at a time when the context in which young people are growing up has changed drastically and they are being exposed to various influences, sometimes unavoidably.

“It is intended to focus on that vulnerable segment of our society, our young people, our ‘schoolers’, at a place where they congregate to take the bus and the taxi to go home…a conveniently located (place) where they can get some guidance and support,” he noted.

He urged the young people in St. Thomas to make good use of the facility for their holistic development.

“Enjoy it, use it, protect it, preserve it, so that others can use it as we seek to continue to build solutions for our society,” the Minister said.

For her part, UNICEF Country Representative, Olga Isaza, said with the establishment of the St. Thomas Teen Hub, young people now have “a unique facility in the parish where they can access educational, health and social services along with nutrition and healthy lifestyle counselling.”

She informed that the Teen Hub in Kingston is recording “sustained success”, with more than 7,800 visits by young people last year. The facility has also seen a continuous uptake in services over the past five years.

Ms. Isaza also encouraged youngsters in the parish, especially those with disabilities, to access the services of the Hub.

“This facility is for you. You have the right to a safe space and to be able to share with your peers in an environment that is respectful,” she said.

Following the official opening and tour of the facility, a wellness bench was unveiled on the compound.

Among those attending the launch were Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Hubert Williams; Member of Parliament for St. Thomas Eastern, Dr. Michelle Charles; Programme Manager for the Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Vanna Lawrence; and representatives from the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the St. Thomas Health Department.