At-risk youth praise JPS for training lifeline
Published:Monday | April 11, 2022 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
TWENTY AT-RISK young men from several communities in St James have been given an opportunity to improve their marketability for the working world with the launch of the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) Empowering At-Risk Youths Towards Positive Outcomes Project on Friday.
The project, which was launched at the West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Mt Salem, will see the participants being trained in electrical technology and vegetation management.
It is part of a wider initiative through the combined effort of the JPS Foundation, the JPS Community Renewal Team, and the United States Agency for International Development, which will also see 20 youth from St Catherine being similarly empowered.
Romel Smith, a participant who hails from Mt Carey, told The Gleaner that the programme has given him hope for a brighter future, compared to his previous life experiences.
“Certain past events surrounded me and made me feel trapped in my own place, but this programme gave me an eye-opening to say that hope is out there, and it is good to be here and feel what it is like to get back in society,” said Smith.
“I feel I will get a lot from the programme, because I am planning to pursue this training as a career. It is not like I am here to just get the training and leave; I am here to see what I can get out of it in the long run,” Smith added.
His sentiments were shared by fellow participant Isomar Grant, of Granville, who was introduced to the programme through the local chapter of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).
“I found out about the programme from my cousin, who introduced me to the PMI and got me connected with these people. I feel good to be part of this programme, and I really appreciate it ... . Young men have been taken off the streets and they will be certified, and it will make sure they have a future again, and they can have plans and can do things,” said Grant.
The participants will undergo eight-hour training sessions over three months, with the overall programme slated to run over an 11-month period. The programme also goes hand in hand with the JPS Community Renewal Team’s outreach efforts to help residents become regularised customers of the light and power company.
The programme is also being launched at a time when youth involvement in crime continues to trigger concern, and comes against the backdrop of several recent acts of violence in high schools.
The police force has also upped the ante in western Jamaica, which accounts for 35 per cent of the island’s murders.
Ramsay McDonald, deputy chairman of the JPS Foundation and senior vice-president of JPS’s customer service division, noted that the youth-empowerment initiative will serve as a countermeasure to youth involvement in crime and violence.
“One of the main objectives of this empowering youth project is to protect our young people from becoming victims or perpetrators of crime, and crime is a reality here in this lovely country that we so love. It has taken too many lives, and enough is enough,” said McDonald.
“Young men, I hope you recognise the opportunity you are being given. You are not here by chance; you are here for a purpose,” McDonald told the participants.