Jamaican Rise and other NGOs Need

Jamaican Needy Youth Can Use Diasporic Encouragement

By William Doyle-Marshall

“We can always use some support. It doesn’t have to be in the form of money. A big need that’s out there is for clothing.” Novia McKay of RISE (Reaching Individuals through Skills and Education) Life Management Services, Jamaica told a gathering of community advocates during her recent visit to Toronto to attend the “State of the World’s Youth” conference organized by Global Citizens Forum.

  McKay, whose organization partners with CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas), talked with Torontonians about its work at home with youth. Responding to the needs of her country with respect to youth development Ms. McKay said the Metcalfe Street Juvenile Remand Center has a very, very big need for clothing. “Some of these boys that get arrested; some of them are homeless youth. They come in, they have nothing. They don’t have shoes. They don’t have shirts to wear. The organization has to find everything. They don’t have soap, they don’t have a rag; they don’t have a tooth brush: even intangible items such as those,” Ms McKay reported. RISE’s motto is changing lives for the better and its focus is on children and youth.

                                            Novia McKay of Rise, left, Alan J.F. Ballak and 

                                                   Sahitya Pendurhti, of Jatro Greentech Inc.

Jessica Dubelaar, CUSO’s Public Engagement Officer in Toronto reminded participants that CUSO is an international development organization that is working to address poverty and reduce inequality in over 20 countries worldwide. Instead of sending aid or money it provides people through skilled professionals to match work of partner organizations on the ground.

  Caricom nationals in the Diaspora who might not be able to visit Caribbean states regularly can partner with an organization on the ground that’s doing something. Lending support to an organization like RISE or any other existing group that may be doing the leg work is a definite option. She suggested there are numerous opportunities for folks in the Diaspora to become supporters.

    More than 100 young people  from around the world attended the State of the World’s Youth gathering as panelists, speakers and participants. They represented Save the Children Canada, Aga Khan Foundation Canada, RISE Life Management Services, Jamaican Self Help, Mental Health Commission of Canada, Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, Engineers Without Borders, Eva’s Phoenix, University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Centennial College, Humber College and many other institutions.

   During a lunch and learn session with an intimate gathering Ms McKay informed her audience that there are tremendous educational needs that could be filled by folks in the Diaspora. Helping with scholarship funds would go a long way as the needs are really, really big in terms of supporting kids who want to go back to school to learn something but do not have the financial resources. Things like that are big needs that people have and Canadians can certainly partner through an organization they know that is going to be accountable to them and has a connection with a community or a group that has the ability to help track the  assistance being provided.   McKay reported there are youths who want to start a business but their family can’t help them. “They don’t have the first dime to do it. Loans are just for people who want to buy cars. Educational loans are extremely hard to get in Jamaica,” she noted.

  In spite of negative media reports about Caribbean youth involvement in drugs and crime McKay reported that youth engagement in Jamaica is really strong even in the communities that RISE is not involved. For instance, she acknowledged there are police-youth clubs or other types of youth clubs, including football or netball club that the young people are engaged in. Overall the youth worker said there is a fairly strong youth advocate network through which Jamaican young people are on international youth councils, representing Jamaica. Other areas of very strong and very active youth involvement are the Youth Parliament, The National Secondary School Council and the Inter-Schools Christian Fellowship (ISCF) -- a network of clubs and groups within high schools.

   Rise’s mission is to provide educational, vocational and health-related services for at-risk populations including those suffering from addictive disorders, in order to facilitate healthy, fulfilling and productive lifestyle choices.