Prefects’ Week to spotlight student leadership, service and national impact

The Jamaica Prefects’ Association (JPA) has announced a week of islandwide activities from March 1 to March 7 as it stages its annual National Prefects’ Week.

This year’s initiative is designed to strengthen student leadership, promote service and raise funds to support the organisation’s activities in the coming months.

According to JPA President Nashá Patterson, the week has been deliberately structured to be hands-on and impactful, with each day focused on a distinct aspect of leadership and service.

“This Prefects’ Week we have tried to have it inclusive and diverse, so we’re using all seven days out of the week for our activities,” Patterson said.

The week starts out with regional church services being hosted on Sunday. Monday will feature the rollout of a National Relief Distribution Project, which aims to target students still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Melissa. On that day, head prefects will travel outside their own regions to designated schools to distribute supplies including stationery and electronic devices.

Tuesday will see the hosting of the JPA’s National Forum, the association’s largest gathering for the year. This event will be combined with a PR Visibility Challenge Schools where schools will showcase the leadership skills and talents of their students through social media. While the forum will provide leadership training for persons interested in service at the local, national and international levels.

STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

Wednesday will introduce a redesigned student exchange programme. During the morning, prefects will lead devotions at host schools and participate in leadership dialogue sessions to share strategies for addressing challenges within their institutions. This engagement will be followed by regional school tours which are scheduled for Thursday. Executive from each region will visit two to three schools to sensitise students about the role and benefits of the organisation.

Friday will be the organisation’s fundraising day. This will involve school-approved activities such as baking and merchandise sales. The association is aiming to raise $250,000, which will be used to support its upcoming National Awards Ceremony which is slated for April 16. The ceremony, which was last held in 2019, is expected to recognise outstanding prefects, advisers and regions, while also highlighting mental health, special needs inclusion and student-administration relations.

“You can be deaf or blind and still be impactful,” Patterson said, emphasising the association’s push to acknowledge students with disabilities.

Saturday will conclude the list of activities. During that day, the prefects will undertake regional beautification projects. This will see local prefect bodies carrying out initiatives at their high schools including painting, cleaning and signage restoration.

As the JPA continues to expand its reach, Patterson said the goal remains clear: to ensure that prefects are recognised not only as disciplinarians, but as leaders, advocates and partners in national development.

For further information on the JPA and its activities, visit the organisation’s Instagram page @prefectsassociationja or email prefectsja@gmail.com.