KSAMC Junior Council Launches Campaign To Assist Students Impacted By COVID-19

The Junior Council of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has rolled out a campaign to assist students across the island whose studies have been impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Public Relations Officer of the Junior Council, Reajean Bennett, told JIS News that the initiative, dubbed ‘COVID-19: Building Resilient Students’, was launched on April 16 and seeks to provide students with “solutions and strategies that can be employed to deal with the challenges during this period”.

“This campaign is aimed at instilling within the youth the fundamental disciplines of adaptability, dedication and a positive mindset, which are essential for growth amid this crisis,” she noted.

One aspect of the campaign involves Instagram Live discussions, where students are invited to share with the Junior Council how the closure of schools, due to the pandemic, has impacted their academic lives.

“We kicked those discussions off on Saturday, May 2 and it is an ongoing series where social media influencers, youth leaders and supporters have been invited as guests on the Junior Council’s page @ksamcjc,” Miss Bennett told JIS News.

“We have pragmatic discussions about the concerns of the students of the nation and gain expert advice from the guests,” she noted.

She said that the students have communicated their gratitude to the KSAMC Junior Council for staging the discussions, sharing the impactful takeaways from the sessions.

Another aspect of the campaign is the development of a website to provide Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) students with the study materials they need, in one location.

Chief Executive Officer of the KSAMC Junior Council, Danielle Jonas, noted that with students studying online due to the closure of schools, they have found that there is a deficit in the availability of material for certain subjects.

“So, while many may find easy access to material on science subjects, we find that the arts and humanities and sometimes the businesses subjects are lacking, especially when it comes to CAPE material,” she said.

“What our website aims to do is provide those CAPE and CSEC students with access to this information to assist with their studies. It will be made available to students islandwide, who otherwise would not be able to acquire the necessary materials for exam preparations,” Ms. Jonas pointed out. .

The initial phase of the website is set to be launched on May 18, after which the Junior Council will explore ways to make it available offline to students who do not have Internet connection.

It will also provide a forum for students to receive study tips and communicate with each other.

Miss Jonas expressed delight at being able to use her platform to help other young people.

“We have to look out for one another and ensure that we do our best and come out, at the end of the day, building resilient communities,” she said.

The Junior Council Public Relations Officer, for her part, said, “We just want for them to know that exercising resilience is a challenge but you can do it, and we just want to plug them with that charge and drive to push and fight against the challenges of this pandemic.

“We not only want to build resilient communities but also resilient youth,” she added.

The KSAMC Junior Council has partnered with the National Secondary Students Council (NSSC), the Jamaica Prefects Association, KiDz HuB Media Network, the Early Childhood Commission (ECC), Jamaica Youth Motivators, Scholarship Jamaica, and AIM Educational Services for the execution of the resilience campaign.

Young people are encouraged to visit the Junior Council’s Instagram page @ksamcjc to participate in upcoming live discussions, and they when be notified when the website is live.