Kenneth Russell | Holding a mirror on our actions ... and inactions

A mirror was held up to our nation and we have been found wanting. The image projected over the past few weeks – fights in schools, murder of women and children, and more claims of corruption in high places – is one of a nation bent on self-harm and irreparable damage.

The image we see of ourselves as a nation should scare us as it belies our claim to civility.

Survival is a challenge. Too many are trying to eke out a living and can’t make ends meet. Too many have paid the “new” taxi fares for the past six months and can’t handle the 35-per-cent increase. Too many are stretching every dollar each day while the major safety net programmes fail to respond to their needs.

Even more critical than the lack of resources needed to make it from one day to the next is the lack of care - the inability to empathise. The mirror reflects a people afflicted with weakened capacity to treat others humanely and show compassion. It seems we respect that which we own more than those with whom we live.

In every sphere of life, it seems we are mindlessly and uncontrollably racing to the bottom. So much so, some suggest it is who we are. The challenges we face as a country are not who we are – the mirror is a liar.

This was vividly displayed by young men at BB Coke High School on September 28. When many others, including adults chose to stand by, Daejaun Gordon, Khari Green, Dejaun Powell, Gary Bartley and Leon Barnes stood up. Seeing their classmate beaten and left unconscious, they could have walked away in fear of going against the bully or joined those who simply captured the moment on video. Instead, they picked him up and carried him to get medical attention. Watching the video of them as they walked the estimated 530 metres was infuriating.

INSPIRED

Yet, one cannot help but be inspired by the young men who helped their friend. They stood up. They cared. Our hearts, broken by the act of violence and our weak systems for responding to emergencies, felt relieved. We became hopeful as we saw the young men leading, taking charge and doing the right thing. The humanity momentarily lost to rage was restored. That is who we are as Jamaicans.

It is this ethic of care which we so deeply desire on a national scale and want to see consistently applied in everything we do.

We can restore this authentic self. The solutions require a holistic approach that starts with the stories we tell of ourselves, our collective narrative. If we prefer material things like certain shoe brands, that is what will take precedence. If we say people over property, that too is what we will become.

It requires the commitment of the society to our story as reflected in the national pledge. We stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace. We work diligently and creatively. We think generously and honestly. Our collective narrative, the story of us, must be internalised and, in so doing, become manifested in who we are as a people and should guide the way we educate, invest our resources, and govern our country.

Critical to this are the actions we take to support families and communities. Here are three suggestions.

SPACES TO SOCIALISE

There is an urgent need to restore spaces of play and socialisation, including community centres and community playgrounds, in communities . These are relatively small-scale investments which can go a long way in helping address challenges with social interaction especially if equipped with outdoor play equipment and opportunities for inter-community competitions. And yes, a properly resourced and focused Social Development Commission would be critical to this effort.

COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT

Parents and other adults in households are critical to shaping the behaviours and attitudes which we want our society to reflect. Yet, the burden of surviving is exhausting and reduces the time and pace for developmental role families should play. Our social safety-net programmes are not doing enough to help people handle the day-to-day pressures of life and move out of poverty. Consider, for example, that PATH reaches only 38 per cent of those who need it most, the poorest.

Families must be supported by effective policies of government, including access to social services, such as unconditional cash transfers and other social services. The evidence is increasingly in support of universal approaches to providing these services. Unlike PATH, conditional and targeted, a universal approach to social service provision would target a group of people in a location. In rural communities, such as those of South East St Ann, a universal approach would be more efficient and a better way of ensuring all citizens are provided with a complete package of services. This must also ensure youths from families are supported to pursue productive ventures through access to land, tools of trade and start-up capital.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

In Rwanda, the last Saturday of each month is umuganda, day of service. Think of it as Labour Day, but with much higher levels of participation by citizens. What if we implement a version of umuganda that is akin to the round-robin or partner where communities form their clusters and support each other to help them transform while strengthen social capital.

So, as we look at the image of our country from the past weeks, we must not lose hope. We must know that these challenges are within our capacity to not just address, but overcome in a long-term and sustainable way.

Kenneth Russell, is a education, youth and community development expert and the People’s National Party candidate for member of parliament for South East St. Ann.