Volunteers Urged to Join National Effort to Protect Children

For the second staging of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, the Ministry of National Security is calling for volunteers to join the national effort to protect children.

The Ministry, through its ‘Unite for Change’ (UFC) public education and behaviour change programme, aimed at tackling the nation’s crime problem, will host the one-day forum on Friday, June 19, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston. The Forum will be guided by the theme: ‘Do the Right Thing: Volunteer in protecting our children’.

In an interview with JIS News, Project Manager of UFC, Patricia Sutherland, said the forum will focus on moving concerns to action, through volunteerism in communities and in areas that have the greatest needs.

“The aim is to increase volunteerism in protecting our children in Jamaica, so we will increase volunteerism in areas that will cause our society to be more lawful, thereby creating a more protective environment for our children,” she explained.

The Project Manager said she is expecting that the majority of the persons in attendance, who are not yet volunteers, will sign up either as a volunteer or an organization seeking volunteers.

She pointed out that the necessary facilities will be in place to accommodate the process, adding that in order to facilitate a smooth process of matching volunteers with organizations, UFC has partnered with the Council of Voluntary Social Services, as this is their core function.

Mrs. Sutherland said attendees can expect to leave the conference with a clearer understanding of what volunteerism is, the level of commitment required and how their contribution will impact the nation at large.

Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, will give the opening address, followed by presentations from nine Ministers of Government and Ministry Officials, including the Minister of National Security, Hon Peter Bunting, Youth Advocates, officials of NGOs and Community-based organizations.

Mrs. Sutherland outlined that some of the sessions will focus on ‘Parenting’, ‘Youth Mentoring’, ‘Situation, Prevention and Lawfulness’.

Persons interested in being a volunteer may visit http://uniteforchangejm.org/ , sign up and receive further details. Registration is at 8:00 a.m. and the Forum will officially open at 9:00 a.m.