Summer Employment Programme Extended in St. James

The National Youth Service (NYS) office in Montego Bay has extended its Summer Employment Programme for the parish of St. James, to facilitate some 41 students from the inner-city community of Norwood.
Regional Corporate Services Officer of the NYS for St. James and Hanover, Omar Steer, has said that normally, the summer employment programme would be closing at this time of the year, but based on numerous requests from community groups and political representatives, the NYS decided to extend the programme to include the 41 students.
Addressing a ceremony to mark the extension of the programme yesterday (August 21), at the Wexford Court Hotel in Montego Bay, Mr. Steer pointed out that the students would be employed to work on projects in their community, which involved the refurbishing of the Central Basic School and the painting of five monuments.
“The National Youth Service will undertake the cost associated with the refurbishing of the Central Basic School, the replacing of zinc sheets and the painting of the building,” he noted.
He explained that the students from Norwood would be employed for two weeks, and paid a stipend at the rate that secondary school students are paid under the NYS summer employment programme.
“The stipend is intended to offset their back-to-school expenses, and that is the reason why we ask that all the persons who are going to participate in this particular project be persons who are in school, because we want them to benefit in that regard,” Mr. Steer said.
Programme Director at the NYS, Howard Gardner, urged the students not to allow their future to be determined by their place of residence. He encouraged them to protect their community from unruly elements.
He pledged continued commitment on the part of the NYS to the overall development of the Norwood community.
Thousands of needy students from across the island benefit annually from the summer employment programme of the NYS.