Fostering dialogue

Scotiabank decided to contribute to the 10th anniversary of The Gleaner's Editors' Forum as the forum has proven to be a very successful initiative. Over the years, it has brought together many of the movers and shakers in various fields and at all levels to discuss topical issues and explore practical solutions. It has also brought publicity to various topics and encouraged positive dialogue.

For us at Scotiabank, we have followed closely the discussions relating not just to the financial sector, but those relating to health, education and community development, as these are areas in which we focus our corporate social responsibility. Since 1999, through the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation, we have contributed $690 million to organisations and programmes in these areas, and it is important for us to follow our investment; so we found these discussions informative and where possible have used the information to enhance our decision-making process.

Additionally, we believe that the new thrust of the Editors' Forum to expand its reach is very important as we seek to engage more people in the dialogue and give a voice to and promote the many Jamaican role models who are doing good in their communities.