Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation Launches Empowered Futures Parenting Curriculum
By: September 13, 2024 ,The Full Story
A curriculum, designed to support adolescent mothers across Jamaica by equipping them with the tools and knowledge to raise happy, healthy children and promote positive parenting practices, has been launched by the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF).
The Empowered Futures Parenting Curriculum, which is the first of its kind in the region, forms part of the WCJF Parenting Programme and is intended to support adolescent mothers in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to raise their children in nurturing, non-violent, and responsive ways.
The curriculum, development of which was funded by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica with an investment of more than $10 million, will be rolled out at all 14 WCJF sites.
A product of the collaborative efforts of UNICEF Jamaica and the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, the curriculum draws on the latest research and feedback from facilitators and participants.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the programme is designed to address the needs of adolescent parents across Jamaica.
“It is not just another parenting course. It is a comprehensive, evidence-based initiative designed to address the unique needs of adolescent parents in Jamaica, providing them with the tools and support they need to navigate the challenges of parenting during adolescence,” she said.
Her remarks were delivered by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Denzil Thorpe, during the curriculum’s launch at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on Thursday (September 12).
Ms. Grange noted that the WCJF has been a trailblazer in addressing adolescent pregnancy rates and meeting the educational needs of teenage mothers, as evidenced by, among other things, the organisation’s curricula development.
She pointed out that the Empowered Futures Parenting Curriculum was preceded by the Change Parent Programme, adding that the Foundation has provided invaluable services to approximately 50,000 adolescent mothers through it centres and outreach stations.
Meanwhile, WCJF Executive Director, Novlette Howell, said that for more than 40 years, the organisation has worked tirelessly to safeguard adolescent mothers’ rights to access education, despite becoming pregnant while in school.
“We also make it our duty to provide them with the requisite support that they need to function at their optimum, after being reintegrated into the regular school system. The Empowered Futures Parenting Curriculum is a natural extension of this mission,” she pointed out.
Ms. Howell noted that the curriculum is a unique initiative that goes beyond providing adolescents with a parenting manual.
“It is designed to create empowered futures for adolescent parents and their babies, fostering environments where positive parenting is the norm and young mothers are supported. Every child deserves to grow up in a home filled with love, care and understanding, and this curriculum is a significant step towards that goal,” the Executive Director said.
She thanked the partners and stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure that the curriculum is grounded in evidence, compassion and practicality.
WCJF Chair, Debby-Ann Brown Salmon, said the initiative represents a significant milestone to empower adolescent parents across Jamaica.
This, she stated, by helping them to overcome the challenges of early parenthood and thrive in the ever-challenging role of caregiver and student, whilst fulfilling that dream of becoming ultimate leaders or game-changers in their communities and families.
Mrs. Brown Salmon said the curriculum is another example of the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing the limitless potential of teen mothers.
“With our commitment to investing in the lives of the adolescent parents, the Empowered Futures Parenting Programme strives to protect the future of two generations, our young mothers and their babies. At the core of this curriculum is the recognition that parenting is a skill that can be taught and learned to help develop the competencies in providing physical care, protection, supervision and psychological support, appropriate to a child’s development,” she said.
Senior Lecturer in CAIHR’s Epidemiology Research Unit, Dr. Christine Powell, said the programme will be taught during one semester and features 12 weekly sessions.
“In 2020, we were approached by the Women’s Centre and UNICEF to partner with them in revising and updating their fairly new parenting curriculum for adolescent mothers. We did not hesitate, as we saw this as an opportunity to help to promote positive parenting practices among a particularly vulnerable group,” she said.
Deputy Representative, UNICEF Jamaica, Mohammad Mohiuddin, said the organisation remains committed to supporting and empowering adolescent mothers and promoting positive parent/child interactions.
“UNICEF is pleased to continue its support with the WCJF, as it represents our work in empowering more communities, parents and children in Jamaica to celebrate positive social and gender norms,” he said.
Mr. Mohiuddin said each of the curriculum’s modules offers practical tools to improve child development and positions good partnering practices as a vital social element in shaping family life.
The Empowered Futures Parenting Curriculum, informed by the Reach Up curriculum and developed by the CAIHR-UWI, features 12 weekly sessions.
These focus on knowledge-sharing through parenting sessions that build the capacity of young mothers.
Additionally, the Programme includes supervised ‘Learning Through Play’ sessions, where participants and their children use self-made or locally produced toys and books to improve parent-child interactions and develop essential skills for early-childhood development.
The Programme also focuses on building the practical skills young mothers need to engage in positive parenting practices.