SDC partners with school to host symposium on parenting

The Social Development Commission (SDC), in conjunction with Duhaney Park Primary School, in Kingston, will host a one-day symposium on parenting at the school, on Wednesday, November 24.
Parents, teachers, students and residents from four communities are expected to participate in the event being organised under the theme: ‘Protecting Our Children, Our Responsibility’.
Some of the agencies to set up booths include the Child Development Agency (CDA), the Victim Support Unit, Fathers Incorporated, Bureau of Women’s Affairs, the Duhaney Park Police Station, the Jamaica Fire Brigade and Parenting Partners Caribbean.
The event, which begins at 10:00 a.m., is part of activities to celebrate Parent Month as well as Community Month, commemorated in November each year. For the month, the SDC is spearheading five community projects islandwide in collaboration with stakeholders and communities from November 1 to 30 under the theme: ‘Build your Community Mek it Safe’.
Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ recently, Field Services Supervisor of the SDC, Travis Graham, said the Commission is willing to work with stakeholders on initiatives to promote community development. He mentioned the project at Duhaney Park Primary as one example of that partnership.
“They are focusing on Parent Month and we (the SDC) are focusing on Community Month, but the broader focus across the island is on development,” he added.
Mr. Graham said that the SDC has been collaborating with other agencies and organisations to carry out various initiatives, and has also provided information or lists of community based organisations, churches, educational institutions as well as community profiles whenever they were requested.
“It is not about the SDC, it is about the communities and the people that we serve, so whatever we can do to facilitate the development process, we will do. So, we still do a lot of partnerships with all agencies and we will never say no to the development of communities once it is non-partisan,” said.
Governance Director at the SDC, Sherine Walker Francis, who supported Mr. Graham, said the Commission would support any initiative once it involved the community, citing the SDC’s partnership with organisations in support of events to commemorate Youth Month and Local Government Month, which are also celebrated in November.
“We also support the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) in youth activities across the parishes. So, for a number of the agencies, once the focus is on community, SDC ultimately gets involved,” noted.