USAID Stages Family Resource and Resilience Symposium

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Positive Pathways Programme, staged a Family Resource and Resilience Symposium at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort in St. James on Thursday (September 1).

The event promoted collaboration and networking among parenting service providers and stakeholders, in a bid to improve family-based therapy models to strengthen family structures as well as build the resilience of vulnerable youth in communities.

Participants in the day’s seminar included representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Education and Youth, Jamaica Constabulary Force, Social Development Commission, National Council on Drug Abuse, and Pregnancy Resource Centre.

Addressing the event, USAID Positive Pathways Deputy Chief of Party, Courtney Brown, indicated that stressors impact many families lacking the economic, social, and psychological strength to be protected.

“It is into these gaps that many of you here, in your many roles and functions, come in as you stand providing support to help to build resilience and to build protective shields around the children and youth who are amongst the most vulnerable when families fail or are unable to provide the support that is required,” he explained.

“The USAID Positive Pathways programme, with its focus on preventing violence, recognises the role of the family in that effort and the role that many of your organisations have been playing in building the resilience of communities and families to the engagement of kids of parents, caretakers and youth,” he added.

Mr. Brown stated that USAID works in 12 target communities across the parishes of St. James, Clarendon, St. Catherine and Kingston and St. Andrew. In St. James, those communities are Flanker, Norwood, and Salt Spring.

“In order to achieve positive behavioural goals, especially within these communities where crime and violence might be a little bit more prevalent, we support a comprehensive and collaborative approach to ensure… needs are addressed,” he outlined.

The day featured presentations on Family Based Therapy, Parenting Best Practices, a networking exercise, and family services discussions.

For her part, Acting President of Salt Spring CDC, Donna Wedderburn, told JIS News that the networking aspect of the event opened up new doors and opportunities to better her community.

“Coming here today, we’re really encouraged; we realise that things can happen, and things are going to happen. Our biggest takeaway today is that we are networking with persons that can also come into the community and help us to be even better than we are,” she pointed out.