JCDC launches redesigned website

The redesigned website of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) was officially launched on November 12, by Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange.
The launch was held at Ardenne High School in St. Andrew, which copped the JCDC’s prestigious Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts for 2010. The new website is: www.jcdc.gov.jm.
In her address, Ms. Grange described the new website as “Jamaica’s newest electronic hub,” which will enable persons, logging on from any part of the world, to experience Jamaica’s rich culture and heritage, as they will have access to the “most current and factual information”.

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange (right), shares pleasantries with (from left): Executive Director, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Grace Silvera, and Acting Principal, Ardenne Hugh School, Jacqueline Pinto, during the launch of the JCDC’s re-designed website at the school’s Ardenne Road, St. Andrew campus, on November 12.

“It is part of an ongoing re-branding and overall strategic plan currently being implemented by the JCDC, to reposition itself as Jamaica’s premier agency for culture and entertainment,” the Minister pointed out.
Ms. Grange informed that the website will, among other things, enable persons to listen to past and current popular and gospel festival songs, research information and get updates on cultural topics and events.
“There are also plans to include live streaming of events, like the Grand Gala, and of course, the festival of the performing arts, mello-go-round, and other national activities. This means that your friends and family members, whether they are in Jamaica or Morocco, will be able to log on and see you in action,” she noted.
“The new website will allow you to follow the work of the JCDC, through the use of online social media networks like Facebook and Youtube. Users will also be able to download entry forms and information on JCDC competitions; you will be able to purchase souvenirs, browse photo galleries of the JCDC’s events, watch cultural videos, and browse through the extensive archives of cultural and historical information,” the Minister outlined.

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange (centre), and Executive Director, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Grace Silvera (2nd left), are joined by Ardenne High School students: Head Boy – Gilroy Gordon (left); Head Girl – Geniene Lettman (3rd left); Deputy Head Boy – Orlando Lewis (2nd right) and Deputy Head Girl – Jodi-Ann Wellington (right); and Acting Principal – Jacqueline Pinto (3rd right, partly hidden), in the cutting of a cake symbolising the launch of the JCDC’s re-designed website, during a ceremony at the school’s Ardenne Road, St. Andrew campus on November 12.

Ms. Grange urged students to peruse the website, citing it as an opportunity for them to learn more about Jamaica’s culture and heritage.
“I know we are particularly proud of our culture and heritage. We have a very rich cultural heritage and we have fascinated the world through our culture, our music and our sports,” she said.
Students and teachers were shown a brief video presentation on the website’s content, following which there was a symbolic cake cutting to formally launch the website, involving Minister Grange, JCDC Executive Director, Grace Silvera and representatives of the student body.