PIOJ To Stage Virtual Community Fair As Part Of Social And Community Renewal Symposium

Several operators of Local Economic Initiatives (LEIs) will showcase their products and services at a virtual community fair on November 10.

The event is being staged by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) as part of its symposium on Best Practices for Social and Community Renewal.

Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s head office in Kingston, Technical Specialist, Socio-Economic Development, PIOJ, Charmaine Brimm, said that the fair will be an exciting and interactive event.

“The community fair is going to allow us to showcase many of our LEIs. You can go online, click on to a particular entity and you will be able to view the actual booth [and] look at the products. The entrepreneurs themselves will actually be live online, so should you want to ask any questions, if you want to be able to purchase any products, you will be able to interact personally with the particular entrepreneur,” she noted.

On display will be skincare products such as soaps and lotions, craft, jewellery, valued-added food items, among other things.

Persons will also have the opportunity to learn more about the range of services that are being offered at the community level.

“There is the Bunker’s Hill tours, and for those who have family members with issues with blindness or deafness, you will be able to learn more through Deaf Can! Coffee from Portmore Self Help Disabilities. For anyone who may suffer from mental health issues, you will be able to learn more about the work that is being done by Petals and Roots. You will be able to hear more about what the Network of Women for Food Security is doing,” Ms. Brimm said.

She told JIS News that one of the main business models being showcased at this year’s symposium is the social enterprise model, which refers to businesses that are driven by a social/environmental mission and profits are reinvested to continue the mission.

“We are also going to be showcasing particular [entities], namely the Jamaica Stock Exchange through its Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) [initiative], which has been doing quite a bit of work in terms of supporting the social enterprise sector,” Ms. Brimm said.

She indicated that presentations will be made highlighting the innovative funding platforms that are available through the JSSE.

Ms. Brimm encouraged Jamaicans not to miss out on the symposium.

“This is your opportunity to network, to improve your knowledge in the area of community development, to be able to interact with new partners that you may not have previously engaged with before,” she said.

The symposium, which will begin at 9:00 a.m., is being hosted by the PIOJ Community Renewal Programme and its partners, including the Ministry of National Security, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Jamaica Social Investment Fund, National Housing Trust, Social Development Commission, National Commission on Violence Prevention, and the Diaspora Taskforce Action Network.

Registration can be done online using the social media pages and websites of the event partners, via email to bestpractice@pioj.gov.jm or directly at the event website at https://www.piojbestpracticesymposium.com/.

Persons can also watch live on the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) cable channel or on YouTube @PBCJamaica.