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JAMPACT’s Annual Trip to Jamaica was very exhilarating, eventful and productive. It gave members and friends of JAMPACT first hand exposure to the lives we have been IMPACTing. We had the opportunity to interact directly with teachers, parents and the children of our four adopted basic schools: Coles, Crescent Road, St. Steven’s, and Maxfield Park Basic Schools.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Media Reception co-hosted by Grace Kennedy Remittance Services: Monday April 6, 2009:The reception served to award JAMPACT’s first Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) recipient, Ms. Claudia Cowan, and present special financial awards to JAMPACT’s four basic schools. Guest speakers included Senator Warren Newby, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports; Mrs. Rebecca Tortello-Greenland, Advisor to Minister Andrew Holness, Ministry of Education; and Mr. Noel Greenland, Vice President – Marketing & Product Development of Grace Kennedy Remittance Services Ltd. Mr. Noel Greenland, on behalf of Grace Kennedy Remittance Services, made a financial donation towards JAMPACT’s Adopt-A-School program. The reception was covered by media groups such as TVJ, CVM TV, and ZYNC TV.

Visit to JAMPACT’s Basic Schools: Visits were made to JAMPACT’s adopted basic schools to meet directly with administrators, teachers and parents and to get to know the personas and needs of our children. It was a truly heartwarming experience, especially considering the fact, despite limited funding, school personnel are so deeply invested in their roles as guardians of our children and are committed strongly to preparing them for successful futures. The children are very eager to learn, and our teachers are just as committed to meeting their educational and other holistic needs.

Of notable mention:

- As all our schools are located in volatile inner-city communities, on Wednesday April 1st, we were able to observe one of our schools, Crescent Road Basic School, implement a peace building initiative involving parents. The parents in attendance were very open to learning ways of combating violence in their communities, including changing their disciplining methods to ones that have been proven to foster stronger attitudes of discipline and responsibility.

– On Tuesday, April 7th, we participated in a parent-teachers’ meeting at St. Steven’s Basic School, which was very experiential. It was encouraging to witness the commitment and investment parents displayed in the development of the basic school. Although these parents often lack tangible resources, they possessed a great deal of heart and showed serious initiative to raise the necessary resources for the schools. JAMPACT agreed to match monies raised by the parents to build a computer lab.

– On Wednesday, April 8th, Coles Basic School, along with another neighboring school, hosted a very exciting sports day. We watched Jamaica’s up-and-coming gold Olympians exhibit great vigor and PROMISE in their track and field activities.