Talk Up Radio is a youth radio show — led by youth for youth, guided by it’s parent organization’s leader — Emprezz Golding of Talk Up Yout. Each Saturday, a panel of young people sit down together to tackle a youth-relevant topic — from the fun and light-hearted to the serious and globally significant. It’s always a great experience having young people actually sit down to talk through issues together and collaborate to find solutions and a neat by-product of that is the development of a youth community of positive, forward-thinking young people who collaborate in solving problems in their lives and the lives of others. Talk Up Yout is a phenomenal example of the potential young people have to be vital problem-solvers and innovators.
This Saturday the team — led by recurring host of Talk Up Radio Dainalyn Swaby, called in Julian Morrison, a financial adviser, writer and all-round amazing guy, Kristofferson Nunez — entrepreneur extraordinaire and Romar Swaby — one of Kristofferson’s exemplary employees to talk about how young people can boost their employability. And the conversation was so amazing that right throughout the show people called in to say they were taking notes and requested that we rebroadcast the episode.

So here’s some of the *HIGHLIGHTS* from the conversation:

1. If you’re unemployed use that time to build skills through reading, volunteering, internships, networking etc. Use the time to your advantage. Everyone else is busy with their tasks, you have time. Julian:I knew my interest was in Economics so I read everything.
2. Your voice can’t penetrate floors of a corporate building. Represent yourself well. In the market you’re a commodity, you’re not going to go into the market and take up the tomato that looks bad, the same applies to job-seekers. You have to represent yourself well. — Romar
3. So many of us waste time on social media and don’t pursue the area we’re interested in outside of class to become well-versed in the fields we’re interested in. — Dainalyn
4. It starts from being humble and willing to learn and taking feedback. When I did my internship I always asked questions. If you’re doing a bad job don’t take it to heart and say “I’m tired of the job and I want to leave”. — Kristofferson
5. You can’t just put your CSEC subjects on your resume and move on. What does that say about you? It says you can pass a test. — Romar
6. You’re going to reach a place when all of you have good grades. How will you set yourself apart? — Dainalyn
7. Yuh haffi get nuff. Get involved. — Kristofferson
8. When you’re in college, you interacting with the future leaders. Networking with them is important but it must be symbiotic. — Romar

10. So many things happen on campus. Go there. Show up. That’s how you become nuff. — Dainalyn
11. Every professional opportunity I’ve received has been as a result of someone I know. — Julian
12. Links are not a bad thing. If you are creating a business and you know someone who can help you along the way you’re going to choose that person. It’s not about just choosing your family. It’s about choosing the person you know and trust. — Romar
13. The mind is like a battery. If you don’t charge a battery it has no use. — Julian
14. If there’s a speaking engagement and I know the speaker is Julian, I look up Julian online, find their twitter handle, let them know I’m looking forward to their event, and then after the event I walk up to them and connect. — Kristofferson
15. READ. READ. READ. READ. READ. READ. READ. — Julian
16. Practice your craft everyday. It will become muscle memory, second nature. Aim for mastery. And read Mastery by Robert Greene. — Romar
17. And How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. — Kristofferson
18. When you have a valuable skill and you align your interests, quirks, personality — yuh gawn a road. — Julian
19. The man who does not read is no different from the man who is not able to read — Dainalyn
20. You can do projects. Projects are a major way of setting yourself apart. Projects, skills, theoretical knowledge — when you integrate those three you set yourself apart. It’s the best way to prove working knowledge. Don’t just walk into the interview and say “Mi have a marketing degree like 8000 other people, buss me nuh please?” — Julian


So you know the episode was straight fire. It was epic. Every minute of the episode was filled with solid advice. Make sure you take the time to listen to the full episode:

1. Catch it on our Instagram right now: @talkupyout.
2. Catch it on our website on MONDAY: talkupyout.com
3. Catch it on our podcast on Soundcloud next week: https://soundcloud.com/talkupradioshowpodcast

What advice do you want to give to young people to help them boost their employability? And what topics should our talented team do next?

Written by: Kristeena Monteith, Producer of Talk Up Radio.

*a stan is a serious, die-hearted fan.

There’s a petition on the OPM website to create a new honour, the National Icon award, to be awarded to Miss Lou, but it has less than 1100 signatures and needs 15000 — apparently nobody has time for that.

It’s almost impossible to grow up in Jamaica and not love Miss Lou. She’s every person under 30’s granny in their mind. In the videos she was always smiling and cracking jokes. She represents culture and heritage and respect for Jamaican people and the celebration of our Jamaican language’s colour and it’s expressiveness.

We recite her poems in schools around the island around Jamaica Day, Heroes Day and Black History Month, students perform her poetry in the annual JCDC performing arts competition, we generally as a people love Miss Lou. Love her enough to take on anyone who dares to appear to tarnish her in any way at all.

So why is nobody signing the petition?
Well, first of all, nobody knows about the petition. When this issue was brought to our attention at Talk Up Yout, the first thing we did was throw that question out to our youth communities. Nearly 50 young people responded in the space of two hours and only 1 of the 50 had heard about the petition. He had seen it on the FB profile of one of his friends — not on his feed. This is problem number 1 — if no one knows about the petition, nobody’s going to sign it. And let’s be real — most young people are not going to casually browse the website for the Office of the Prime Minister. This petition would have to connect with us in our spaces — social media, school, community etc.
This is especially important because almost all of the 50 youth who responded, were willing to sign the petition and said they would have, had they seen it or heard about it.

Even with that overwhelming support, the youth also had reservations and questions.


Question 1:
How is this award any different from the other awards Miss Lou already has?

This is a totally valid question. Miss Lou received the Order of Distinction and the Order of Merit. The Order of Merit is next to the Order of National Hero in the list of awards open to any Jamaican, not limited by status as having served as a Prime Minister or Governor General. It is only awarded to 2 people in any given year, and only 15 people alive can hold the award at the same time. The Order of Merit is already big deal.

Question 2:
If young people don’t care about the awards Miss Lou already has, why would they care about the new one?

The creator of the award Mr. Chang, clarified in an interview on Beyond the Headlines, on RJR that the award would honour the iconic figures in Jamaican culture. The ones most of us already care about and love — the really big names. His argument was essentially that the people who currently hold the Order of Merit, may not command the same level of wide scale love from Jamaicans like Miss Lou, Usain Bolt and Bob Marley. This begs the question — if we already love and appreciate Miss Lou so much, if she’s already iconic to us, why does there need to be a new award? One might argue that there should be campaigns to get us to recognize the contributions of the other people who have received the Order of Merit like Mary Seacole.

Question 3:
If the distinguishing factor of this award is being beloved by the public — will they confer the award on #WorldBoss Vybz Kartel when his petition surpasses 15000 in less than a day?

This was a major concern amongst young people in our community because the idea of awarding a person for being popular as opposed to their actual contributions to the development of the country, leads us down a contentious rabbit hole. Our culture like all other cultures, is shifting. This is natural, it’s caused by the passing of time. Icons are forgotten and new ones emerge -it’s the way of humanity. What happens when the new generation decides the award should be conferred on someone the older generations do not see as iconic and therefore do not approve of? Popularity is not a standard measure, the causes and impact of it are nebulous. If the award is for popularity AND outstanding contribution to fields of endeavour like arts, sciences or technology then you could have just awarded the person with any of the existing awards including the Order of Merit or Orders of Distinction. Is popularity enough to warrant a new award?

Of course, Talk Up Yout is a platform for much more than debate and questions. Solutions are always our end-game, so the youth in our community were challenged to develop recommendations.

1. The petition itself needs work. People may have seen it and without reading it, decided not to sign it because it says “National Icon” and they assumed that meant “National Hero”. Some people do not agree that Miss Lou’s contributions are heroic, so the headline has to include “new award for popular public figures starting with Miss Lou” or something to that effect.
2. The promotion, marketing, advertizing, campaigning surrounding this petition is lacking. If the petition is not brought into our spaces, especially social media, the youth will not find it, and it will go unsigned. Capitalize on current trends. It’s amazing that this petition has been around since May according to the OPM website, and during all the public hype about Dancehall artiste’s Ishawna’s comments about bandanna that went viral IN JULY, this petition was not well-promoted.
3. Instead of focusing on a new award that might be forgotten and fall out of every day relevance like all the others, focus on Education. There is much about Miss Lou that young people are unaware of. Her contributions to the nation through culture are not introduced to young people in the education system in any tangible, memorable way. Most of her work is summed up as “She put Jamaica on the map, internationally through her poetry”. Start a petition to add the list of achievements of our icons to our curriculum, in the same way we know exactly how many Olympic medals Usain Bolt has won. Inspire youth to care and we will keep the connection alive.

The Verdict:
Yes, the youth support the award as a token of our love and appreciation for Miss Lou and others like her, but for it to get the signatures it has to be promoted. If young people are unaware of it, they cannot sign it. Furthermore, the real impact does not come from statues and awards, it comes from the on the ground teaching and promoting of her life and accomplishments, as opposed to her popularity. She is more than an icon, she has provided our country with meritorious service that deserves the award she already has and any others we as a people decide to confer on her. Walk good!

PETITION: http://opm.gov.jm/participate/jamaica-house-petition/sign-petition/?pet=4
​
Written by Kristeena Monteith, canvassing the views of the youth of TALK UP YOUT.

IMAGE CREDIT: Jamaica Information Service — http://jis.gov.jm/famous_jamaicans/louise-bennett-coverley/

Westmoreland
TALK UP YOUT
Youth Empowerment Through Dialogue
Town Hall #3: June 17, 2017
Number of Youth Attendees: 44
Funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund
Officials in Attendance:
Dwayne Vaz: Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland


In continuing its “Youth Empowerment through Dialogue” Project, Talk Up Yout held its third Town Hall on June 17, 2017 at the Source in Savanna la mar, Westmoreland. The project aims to build the capacity of youth across the island as well as give them an opportunity to engage elected officials in constructive dialogue which will be beneficial to their parish. The attendees of the Town Hall represented several schools and youth organizations across the parish of Westmoreland. Some of the attendees were participants in the training workshop which was held on the previous day.
 
Westmoreland’s Town Hall started with the host, Giovanni Dennis introducing himself and the “Youth Empowerment through Dialogue” Project to the attendees. He explained to the audience that the town halls were part of a series and that the Talk Up Yout team had already been to St. James and St. Elizabeth. He went on to further to state that the series sought to give youth a platform to voice their issues, teach them about advocacy and help them to find workable solutions; and that the project was funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund. He urged everyone to relax and feel comfortable talking and to use the #YoutFiChat hashtag on social media when posting about the day’s events.

Dwayne Vaz, the Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, was the only elected representative present. Apologies were offered on behalf of the other two Members of Parliament Wykeham McNeil and Luther Buchanan who were unable to attend. Nonetheless, the town hall was very interactive and M.P Vaz sought to answer all questions in a straightforward manner. Mr. Vaz said that he would try his best to represent all the MPs but the host impressed upon him not to make any excuses for those who were absent and stated that as Mr. Vaz was one of the younger MPs it is admirable that he saw the need to show up.

Crime
The conversation started with a discussion on crime, as 41% of youth from Westmoreland who participated in the TUY Baseline Survey, deemed it the biggest issue affecting parish.Mr. Vaz expressed that crime in the parish was indeed out of hand and required a united effort. He blamed the increasing crime rate on the general breakdown of values in the society and said that there was a need for a national effort and the reintegration of a value system in the home, school and society at large. Mr Vaz said crime couldn’t be solved overnight even though immediate measures can be taken, such as providing the police and military with more resources. He added that Members of Parliament could lobby the government for a reallocation of resources, but otherwise lacked the ability to correct it themselves. He said crime has become the norm in Jamaica, and as it affects more persons,  they are recognizing the seriousness of the issue.

A young woman explained that she had started a youth club to help young people in her community as they have the “wrong concept”. She said many have abandoned education for relationships and criminal acts, particularly scamming. She stated that scamming is attractive to many young people as they lack positive and successful influences within the community. They look to those who are involved in scamming as  role models as these individuals typically have nice vehicles, homes, and other signs of wealth.

Mr. Vaz commented that the high dropout rate and growing popularity of scamming was a major issue which resembled the drug trade in 1980’s Jamaica. He stated that the “get rich” mentality was responsible for this recent gravitation, along with the lack of role models. He shared that youth clubs were important and could share examples of persons who have achieved success honestly, even if these persons are outside of the community. Mr. Vaz urged young people to share the negative effects of these illegal activities with their peers so as to deter others.

Another young person interjected saying the “government served no purpose” and that the youth must not be blamed as the parish’s and country’s leaders have not actively sought to make progress in Westmoreland. He addressed the issue of sexual grooming being done by policemen, religious leaders, and politicians. Although he received a hearty response from the crowd there was still a difference of opinion on this matter. Some members of the audience argued that sexual grooming could not take place unless the children agreed or had not been trained well by parents. Others were sympathetic and suggested that lack of resources was often the reason  why young persons were coerced.

Youth Unemployment
Youth unemployment and the resulting migration of youth to other parishes was another issue discussed. Many young persons agreed that the parish was not very attractive as it lacked not only employment opportunities but even recreational spaces. Mr. Vaz was able to empathize with the audience; he shared that after graduation from University, he was also unemployed for eight months. He explained that, the predominant industry for the parish  was tourism and that hospitality training was of importance.   

Westmoreland’s Ambassador for the National Youth Service expressed that although unemployment was an issue, many young persons were uninterested in employment. He shared that he had brought forms to many young persons’ homes for the National Youth Service’s Summer Employment Programme and offered to photocopy their forms at the office for submission. Yet many chose not to complete the form while others could not even find or did not have acceptable forms of identification. He stated that many of the parish’s youth were simply unemployable as they lacked skills. He would also like to see a more central HEART training centre available to the youth. He spoke passionately stating that opportunities existed but many young people were simply seeking handouts.
 
Lack of Recreational Space
Regarding the lack of recreational space, Mr. Vaz stated that there were currently two spaces which were being considered for investment- the Independence Park and the Cultural Centre. The Cultural Centre, which is underdeveloped, had been unused since the Noise Abatement Act took effect. He mentioned that there was specific interest in the Cultural Centre as it was a large space with abundant potential.

Mr. Vaz shared that he was personally trying to address the issues of community centres which he wished to transform into educational centres and had already rehabilitated the centre in Hatfield where  solar panels had been installed, thanks to donations from a Canada based foundation. He explained that HEART training would take place there and that costs would be subsidized as the electricity cost would now be substantially reduced due to the use of solar energy. He then addressed the closure of the Youth Information Centre, which he said was closed for security reasons. Mr. Vaz elaborated that he had been in communication with Floyd Green, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and Member of Parliament for South West St. Elizabeth and had been assured that the Centre would soon be reopened and available to the community’s members.

Parish Infrastructure
The issues of de-bushing and lack of streetlights was also raised. Mr. Vaz explained that recently he had written to the Minister of Local Government outlining the areas which needed streetlights and the correspondence left him with an understanding that the parish had to wait until more resources were available. Additionally, there was an ongoing issue between the government and the Jamaica Public Service regarding payments which could also be affecting street lights in the parish. Regarding de-bushing, he admitted that it was a constant issue and that recently the National Works Agency had given each constituency one million dollars for drain cleaning and de-bushing on the main roads. He explained that the interior roads were the responsibility of the Parish Council and that the Councilors should be contacted for the de-bushing of those areas.
 
Advocacy
Various advocates who had been trained in the workshop held the previous day expressed that it was important to take initiative and that opportunities were there. They shared their experiences with organizing community projects, tutoring programmes and entrepreneurship to encourage the other youth present and to show Mr. Vaz that they were neither inactive nor helpless. Youth Parliamentarian for the parish, Davian Hemmings also shared that having a strong value system was crucial; he reminisced on his years at Mannings High School and expressed that he went through many hardships and was often uncertain if he could continue school, but always kept on the straight and narrow path. He encouraged young persons to start with what was available to them and to persevere.

Communication with the MP
Mr. Vaz shared with the audience that he had a radio program called Your MP Live every second Sunday on Vibes FM which he had implemented so persons could call and have dialogue and gain awareness. The Talk Up Yout host, Giovanni Dennis suggested that Mr. Vaz invite the other Members of Parliament for the parish to his program and he admitted that Member of Parliament Wykeham McNeil had already expressed interest.
The host closed the Town Hall by thanking the MP and the audience for their participation and the TUY team for facilitating this project.
​
Hanover and Trelawny are the next stops in the series of Town Halls under this Initiative.

For more information
Emprezz Golding
Project Director & Creator
Email tuypress@gmail.com
Follow the Hashtag #YoutFiChat

​

St. Elizabeth
TALK UP YOUT
 Youth Empowerment Through Dialogue
Workshop and Town Hall #2
Funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund
 
 The project “Youth Empowerment Through Dialogue in Jamaica” provides a platform for Jamaican youth aged 14-24 years to advocate for workable solutions for the issues affecting them, and an opportunity to demand accountability from local and national representatives elected to serve them.
 
Training Workshop: May 26, 2017
 
Number of Youth Attendees: 23

Introductions and Expectations:
Facilitated by Talk Up Yout Team Members

Renee Johnson led the initial energetic introduction where she expressed that Talk Up Yout was seeking to encourage youth to become more involved and hold their elected officials accountable. She urged all in attendance to participate wholeheartedly by interjecting and giving feedback and even stating disagreements.

Sujae Boswell then ascertained what the youth expected from the two-day process. He shared the importance of having fruitful conversations with elected officials about the changes needed in communities. He also explained that it was important not only to make requests of the Members of Parliament and Councilors, but to gain an understanding of the roles citizens themselves could play. Participants mainly expressed expectations concerning community development, the visibility of the Member of Parliament, infrastructure (roads) and plans for youth involvement.

Boswell explained that throughout the day they would be exposed to the political process, the roles elected officials are to play and how the youth in St. Elizabeth can effect the changes they would like to see. Boswell elaborated that young persons not only need to be more involved, but they also need to become advocates, as this is how politicians will see the need to appeal to the youth’s interests.

Presentation on Governance
This was an interactive presentation, which was well received by the attendees. They were educated on the role and structure of government and the roles of their elected officials. Talk Up Yout facilitators also discussed civic duties and their importance.

Participants were then split into groups of three or four. They were asked to make a presentation on their perception of the roles of their Members of Parliament, recommendations for the MPs and their understanding of their roles as citizens.

The presentations revealed that most of the participants had been attentive and had grasped the roles of Members of Parliament and Councilors. Some of the recommendations included increasing youth involvement, allocating more of the CDF (Constituency Development Fund) to education, starting up homework centers and fixing roads. Many of the participants seemed disillusioned and thought the CDF, twenty million annually was an exorbitant sum of money and could do all the things necessary for the constituency.

Conrad Mathison, the Talk Up Yout Social Media Advocacy Consultant and presenter interjected during the participants’ presentation due to poor body language and poor vocal projection. He gave a brief talk on confidence, body language, and communication so they could improve their presentation styles.

In the two aforementioned segments (Introduction and Presentation on Governance) the participants elaborated their main issues and concerns.
They are as follows:

1. The accessibility of their Member of Parliament
2. Road Conditions, particularly in North East St. Elizabeth
3. The incorporation of young people in community and national development
4. The Member of Parliament’s plans for the constituency
5. Assistance for Tertiary students
6. Corruption
7. Youth Unemployment
8. Poor Drainage
9. Water Shortage
10. The integrity of elected officials
11. Lack of social development

 
Training on Fundamental Rights and Freedom
This in-depth discussion on the constitution and fundamental rights session was geared towards helping the participants to understand their rights, which would help to empower them. Many participants expressed that the knowledge distributed was entirely new to them and used this segment to express their dissatisfaction with their Members of Parliament. Most of the negative comments were geared at Evan Redman, and most positive was absorbed by Floyd Green.

Training on Advocacy
This was another interactive presentation, where participants were encouraged to help themselves before seeking help from others, in particular their elected officials, and to seize all opportunities.There was an exercise which required participants to write and share what they would like to experience, their plans for personal growth and their projected contributions to their communities within a year. Some of the participants expressed that they wished to make their families proud with their CSEC examinations results and travel outside of the parish. Others expressed interest in either forming or joining a youth club. The focus of this activity was to show participants that execution required planning and a vision; emphasizing that short-term goals were also important and warned against succumbing to discouragement from external sources.

Participants were also taught how to properly use their smartphones for advocacy. This was done by showing them where the microphones on most smartphones are, and teaching them how to record properly and turning on Airplane Mode during the process to avoid interruptions in the recording.

Participants were also asked to develop questions to ask their representatives. They were given cue cards and asked to put their names, constituencies, and questions on the cards. The facilitators selected the newly trained advocates who would be asking questions in the Town Hall. They were chosen based on their participation in the workshop throughout the day.Afterwards the Post Tests and Evaluation forms were distributed.

 
Town hall: May 27, 2017
Number of Youth Attendees: 67

The participants have been charged to mobilize their peers, generate consensus on priority issues and make representation to relevant elected public servants. 
Facilitator: Giovanni Dennis
Officials in Attendance:
Floyd Green, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Member of Parliament for South West St. Elizabeth
Derrick Sangster, Councilor for Mountainside Division, Mayor of Black River, Chairman of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation
A prerecorded interview between JC Hutchinson, the Member of Parliament for North Western St. Elizabeth and Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Giovanni Dennis was played throughout the Town hall meeting.
The host announced that persons in the audience would also be invited to join the conversations and direct questions towards their Members of Parliament.

A variety of issues were brought to light at the Town hall such as road maintenance, electricity outages, migration from the parish, youth unemployment, investment and community centers and the allocation of the Constituency Development Fund. Both officials, particularly Minister Green, sought to appropriately answer the questions posed by the youth. The attendants admitted that they believed their questions were fully answered however expressed their displeasure that only two of the officials were present.

One of the main issues raised was the migration of young persons out of the parish. Green admitted that migration was indeed a major issue as majority of the tertiary institutions are in Kingston, but shared that the University of the West Indies and the University of Technology were expanding to St. James and new tertiary training sites in both Black River and Junction are assisting in the alleviation of this predicament. Green also expressed that he hoped to get more skills based training for those in his constituency in viable areas as training and education are important, but ensuring that youth can be productive in the end is key.

Sangster suggested that migration is natural and could not be alleviated overnight but focus on investment in the parish could assist the parish’s economy encouraging more young persons to stay. While Hutchinson added that one of the major issues in the parish is lack of investment as there are few businesses in the vicinity. He expressed his hopes to get a training center up and running in Lacovia to train young persons in Hospitality as many hotels are being opened on the North Coast and this could be a useful means of employment and opportunity for them.

Further questions and discussions led Green to admit that he believed agriculture was St. Elizabeth’s most viable option and a good route for entrepreneurship as the parish has unused land. However, he stated that there must be discussion about processing to move from primary production to secondary production. He urged young persons to come up with their own ideas which could be monetized and suggested that an innovation center to help them with this was underway.

An advocate who had received training at the workshop highlighted that community centers were important for community development the inclusion of youth. She suggested that where there were no community centers, schools could be used to offer, for example, homework help and classes aimed at personal development. Green added that one of the main issues was the maintenance of the centers and suggested that youth form clubs to help their officials find solutions. Green said that he hoped to revive the youth club development as it is currently on the decline. He also explained that he tries to communicate with young people through the mediums which they prefer, such as Facebook, and urged them to reach out as he checks his messages personally. Sangster too agreed with the youth club initiative as he believed the inclusion of young persons is necessary for community development and noted that a good way to get them involved was by way of sports.

Sangster urged young people to not be afraid to contact their elected officials. He also suggested that they write letters to him, reiterating that he is an accessible mayor. He gave out his contact information and made it known that appointments were not required. Mayor Sangster shared that there were Council meetings every second Thursday and that he would seek to bring up new issues that was made aware of there to facilitate progress. He made a promise to an advocate that he would liaise with Councilor Fisher to get the community center in Balaclava up and running as the young man expressed that he had been unable to get in touch with his Member of Parliament, Evan Redman.
​
Minister Green also elaborated that the Constituency Development Fund is twenty million per year and that its funds must be spent through and implementing agency or third party and must be paid to a supplier not a person. Green gave a breakdown of how majority of his CDF is spent.
The breakdown is as follows:

1. Education - six and a half million
2. Agriculture- two million
3. Social Welfare – three million
4. Economic Enablement Grant (for entrepreneurs) – five hundred thousand
5. Social Water (for trucking water into various areas) – one and a half million
   (Half of this fund was reallocated to fix a road)
6. Social Housing – three million
7. Black River Day (A day to help entrepreneurship in Black River)- two hundred and fifty thousand
8. Labor Day Projects – five hundred thousand
9. Sports – one and a half million
10. Administrator’s Wages- seven hundred and fifty thousand​

​ 
Main Issues Which Arose at the Town Hall

1. CDF Allocation
2. Migration from the parish
3. Youth Unemployment
4. Failure of Elected Officials to Reply to Letters
5. Lack of Investment in the Parish
6. Electricity Outages
7. Lack of Community Centers and Abandoned Community Centers
8. Access to Tertiary Education

 
Westmoreland and Hanover are the next stops in the series of town halls under this initiative.
 
For more information
Emprezz Golding
Project Director & Creator
Email tuypress@gmail.com
Follow the Hashtag #YoutFiChat

Scores of young persons who gathered in Montego Bay St James on the weekend were empowered to become the change in their communities as they spoke directly, most for the first time, with their political representatives. 
 
34 of the 75 young persons aged 14-24, who gathered at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on Saturday April 22, 2017, for a TalkUpYout/ UNDEF  ‘Youth Empowerment Through Dialogue’ town hall, were trained a day earlier on rights, governance and advocacy by the National Integrity Action and Talk Up Yout.
 
St James North West MP Dr Horace Chang and State Minister for National Security Pearnel Charles Jr, who arrived late due to weather, faced tough questions from the floor and in one on one session with the youth following the town hall.
 
But the majority of the concerns, including housing, education, care of mentally ill and abused, education, job creation and crime, were fielded by St James Central MP Heroy Clarke, Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis, PNP Central St. James Chairman Ashley Ann Foster and Ms. Tshura Gibbs, Chamber of Commerce/ JPS.
 
They were then  challenged to organize, advocate and share with their peers.
 
One participant, youth advocate Dominique Stone took up that challenge and invited her MP Dr Chang to attend the Salt Spring New Testament Church on Sunday April 23, where he spoke on governance and advocacy.  She will also be starting her own advocacy group in Salt Spring.
 
Another outcome of the two day event was a resolution by  Russell Barrett for the St James Parish Council to commit to holding two town halls each year with young persons. 
 
While its argued that many young persons are not interested in participating in the political process, the two day TalkUpYout/ UNDEF Youth Empowerment Through Dialogue sessions highlighted that what young persons want are avenues for dialogue and the knowledge and skills to demand changes from open and responsive representatives.
 
St Elizabeth is the next stop in the series of town halls under this initiative.
 
For more information
Email tuypress@gmail.com
Follow the Hashtag #YoutFiChat

See what Others are saying: 
UPDATES: 
May 2, 2014
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/formalise-role-of-caretakers_97550?profile=1234

 

Kingston, March 9, 2017 - There’s no denying the significant challenges young women face in Jamaica and around the world. Despite their hard work, dedication to excellence and stellar contributions to the growth of this country they still find it difficult to achieve their dreams or even live fulfilling lives without fear. The recent flare up in gender based violence offences being committed against women and girls is simply a symptom of this larger, human rights issue, an issue that requires BOLD CHANGE. Students at Meadowbrook High School and Ardenne High School in Kingston, Jamaica who participated in The European Union and its Member States' School Tour to commemorate International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 9, 2017 - benefitted from educational sessions focused on gender issues, led by the University of the West Indies’ Institute for Gender and Development Studies team. The information they shared with these bright young students prepared them to contribute to the global movement to empower young people to #BEBOLDFORCHANGE and to #STAMPITOUT, 'it' being gender based violence.

​Both Meadowbrook and Ardenne High schools are known to produce outstanding graduates, and their intelligent, articulate students fully engaged in the sessions which were presented by Professor Verene Shepherd, Dr. Adwoa Onuora, Mrs. Suzanne Charles-Watson and Ms. Judith Wedderburn. These sessions focused on defining key terms in speaking about gender, highlighting the connection between gender and socialization, recognizing gender based violence and using academic curricula as a tool for stamping it out. Some key terms explained by Dr. Onuora and Mrs. Suzanne Charles-Watson using the fun medium of a game of musical chairs, included gender, sex and gender based violence. Building on these definitions Ms. Judith Wedderburn engaged the students in conversations about their own socialization process and how negative and positive, attitudes, cultural norms and values regarding gender were consciously and unconsciously passed on to them. Immediately grasping this abstract concept, a student of Ardenne High commented that most people are interested in knowing the sex of a baby because “this can determine his or her entire life” - to resounding applause around the room. Other students of both schools highlighted incidents in their own lives where they felt their gender put them at a disadvantage or was the main reason for some form of discrimination and shared their opinions on stereotypical gender norms for men such as being emotionally unavailable and promiscuous, and women being sensitive, peaceful and submissive.
 
Naturally the sessions progressed from gender socialization to gender based violence. Students were walked through modern scenarios of sexual grooming where a person of power attempts to gain the trust of another in order to take advantage of that relationship to abuse them. These scenarios included being asked for nude pictures on social media or being tempted with material things like fancy cellular phones or even delicious foods. A key part of this discussion that Mrs. Charles-Watson zoomed in on was the issue of power. She carefully explained the imbalance of power in such situations that causes young people to sometimes fall for these tricks and while reassuring the students that their natural innocence should never be used as excuse for them being abused, she explained the warning signs and red flags of sexual grooming and gender based violence to look out for. This session elicited some very important questions from students of Meadowbrook High who asked about other situations of power imbalances  - such as a parent forcing a child who has been sexually abused to recant a statement they previously gave condemning the perpetrator of the crime because he or she is the parent’s spouse or partner. Students also asked about situations where a person who should be helping and protecting them, is sexually abusing them. These questions were tackled both by Mrs. Charles-Watson who highlighted agencies such as CISOCA that deal with such situations, and the Master of Ceremonies for the school tour Lasco Top Cop 2015 - Detective Sergeant Ava Lindo who spoke to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s protocol for dealing with such situations.
 
In one of the most emotional moments of the entire school tour, Ms. Lindo valiantly chose to share her story of surviving sexual abuse at age 15 and keeping it to herself for more than a decade. A living, breathing example of the importance of recognizing, protecting and uplifting women, Sergeant Lindo used her story to empower the students at Ardenne and Meadowbrook to always speak up about sexual abuse and to respect themselves and others.
 
Professor Verene Shepherd’s presentation highlighted the importance of recognizing the contributions of women to history, lest we allow young people to believe only men have shaped the world, and thereby discourage girls from becoming change makers.
 
In their vote of thanks speeches, student representatives of both schools expressed gratitude for the information disseminated and spoke about feeling empowered to stamp out gender based violence. They also thanked the European Union Delegation and its Member States resident in Jamaica for recognizing the importance of engaging young people in meaningful dialogue about gender and other similar issues to equip them with the information they need to not only protect themselves but to also support each other regardless of gender.
 
Those sentiments echoed the Head of the European Union delegation in Jamaica - Malgorzata Wasilewska who shared insights into the mission of the EU to support democracy, human rights and peace around the world and spoke about the long and fruitful relationship Jamaica has had with the EU. It’s a relationship spanning more than 40 years and including more than a billion US dollars in grants to the island.  Taking a few hours out of their extremely busy schedules all ambassadors to Jamaica from EU member states joined Ms. Wasilewska in imparting powerful messages about honoring the humanity of every person. The delegation included Chargée d’Affaires of the Embassy of Spain in Jamaica - Carmen Rives Ruiz-Tapiador, British High Commissioner to Jamaica - David Fitton, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Germany in Jamaica - Michael Dumke, French Ambassador to Jamaica - Jean Michel Despax and Belgian Ambassador to Jamaica - Guy Sevrin, who also spoke words of encouragement to the students of Meadowbrook and Ardenne. The World Bank was represented by their Country Manager for Jamaica - Galina Sotirova and the United Nations was represented by Coordinator of the UN Secretary General High-Level panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment - Pat Francis.
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Other notable speakers included a representative of the Ministry of Education - Susan Nelson-Bloomfield, Honorary Consul General of Thailand and CEO of Island Grill - Thalia Lyn who shared her experiences as a girl who was encouraged to succeed and as such grew into a woman who owns a massive chain of restaurants and Talk Up Yout Founder and Co-Executive Producer Emprezz Golding who in her own extraordinary style used her voice to encourage the youth to talk up!
 
Poet and entrepreneur Randy McLaren of Bresheh, used his creative dub poetry to entertain and inspire young people to continue to be “Progessive Youths”, eliciting roaring applause from everyone present. Even the German Chargé d'Affaires to Jamaica Michael Dumke, and British High Commissioner to Jamaica David Fitton both admitted that although they didn’t understand much of Randy’s Jamaican patois, the message clearly resonated with those who do understand the language, especially the students. Chargée d’Affaires of the Embassy of Spain,  Carmen Rives Ruiz-Tapiador, in her closing remarks, highlighted that the initiative was intended to explain what the European Union is and its concern for gender equality, which is a challenge in Jamaica and worldwide, thus the importance of partnership.   
 
Youth is a tumultuous period in every person’s life, where their personality is shaped by forces they are often not even fully cognizant of. This makes it one of the most critical periods in life and as such the need for good information that empowers young people to make good decisions cannot be overemphasized. This school tour has added to the European Union and its Member States' legacy of supporting Jamaican people and investing in the future of this country, an investment that can only lead to the improvement of this country and the world. Armed with information the students of Meadowbrook and Ardenne High Schools will continue to let their lights shine, and to seek the best.
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A Talk Up Yout Media Blog
Email: TalkUpYout@gmail.com
Chief Editor: Kristeena Monteith
 
 

Young girl
By:©Saccheen Laing 

Saturday draws to a close and fear sets in.
With Sunday comes the realization that I will have to see him.

My mother picks out my clothes and prepares me for church.

I am immaculately dressed and ready to meet my abuser.

She kisses me 

As she betrays me.

She knows fully that the man of God abuses me

But she refuses to protect me.

At church I hear him speak but I refuse to listen.

How can he speak of good when he robs me of my childhood?

I'm a child yet he finds pleasure in me.

I'm a child yet he shares a bed with me like he does his wife.

I'm a child yet he finds satisfaction in my undeveloped physique.

He continues to speak

And my knees become weak.

The congregation smiles at me 

Behind closed doors they know he takes pleasure in young girls.

I'm a child who is now scarred

I'm a girl who lost her purity to my only father figure.

Will you forget me?

Or will you save what's left of me?

The End

About: 
My name is Saccheen Laing and I'm a very passionate poet and writer. I self published four poetry books and aspire to keep on sharing my poetry and motivational quotes with the world. I attended the Wolmer's Trust High School For Girls and later went on to get my B.A in Communications Arts and Technology specializing in Journalism from the University of Technology. What drives my writing is to encourage young people that they should always follow their passion regardless of its popularity. Go after what you love and put your all into it because you never truly live until you find your purpose. Poetry isn't what is particularly popular but it is my way of inspiring and letting my voice be heard.
​#TalkUpYout

My grandmother never spoke to my mother about sex. In fact, my mom isn’t sure my grandmother has ever said the word sex. "Sex" was a bad word in her house — as were vagina and penis. So when I was growing up, my mother made sure I knew all about sex, because she never wanted anyone to tell me something untrue about sex that I would believe. By twelve I had a good idea of the schematics of sex, what goes where and the possible outcomes. I knew about STI’s and STD’s, pregnancy and how it occurs, how it doesn’t occur etc. I even knew some of the common sex myths:

- Having sex while upside down won’t get you pregnant
- Having sex for the first time won’t result in pregnancy
- If you don’t have sex, cobwebs will grow in your vagina and it will stop working
etc.

So I knew everything I needed to know, but at the same time, I realized that most kids my age knew absolutely nothing at all. I wanted to tell them what I knew but I figured maybe their parents hadn’t gotten around to doing it yet.

The amount of detail in the sex talks I had been having with my mom progressed as I did. The more I could understand, and was curious about — the more she told me. One time, when I was 16, I was cuddling with my mom and just talking about girly things and she randomly went:

“Sex is nice. It’s the best thing in the world, but only if you’re in the right frame of mind. Once you’re ready, and no, I don’t mean married, you’ll know when you’re ready, it will be great. Just understand that it isn’t a big deal, it’s just penis goes into vagina, repeat process. So wait, wait until you can handle everything that comes with it, because once you start you won’t stop and it will be the only thing you think about for a while.”

On other occasions she spoke to me about the sometimes harsh reality of sex. She let me know that it isn’t always be awesome and regardless of what he may think, you have the option to stop anytime it’s not going how you want it to. Depending on his sex ed, he might now know that you need to be aroused or else the friction can actually damage your vagina. Or sometimes, he might want you to do things that you might not want to do. You don’t have to. You NEVER have to.

Then there was my dad. Not surprisingly our sex talks were a lot more subdued and a lot less graphic, but they were just as meaningful. When I was 12 he let me know that my rapidly developing body would not go unnoticed by men his age and older (he was 40). He let me know that many of them would have no problem sleeping with a girl my age (rape), and that naivety was not an option. He told me about all the girls he slept with while he was young, just because he could.

His support when street harassment got really terrible helped me to cope. I didn’t cope well with being heckled, I still don’t cope well — often getting very angry and confronting hecklers. My dad has always maintained that although men may feel it is natural for them to seek out women, it’s never okay for anyone to make another person feel uncomfortable to just walk down the street.

Perhaps the most important thing my dad ever taught me was that I am valuable. I was a legit daddy’s princess growing up and there’s something about that sense of meaning everything to someone that translates into feeling like you really are important in the grand scheme of things — especially to yourself. My sense of self-importance has kept me from making bad decisions to please boys, or even just doing things I didn’t want to do because it’s “expected”. No, I won’t dance with you, I don’t want to dance. I DON’T CARE IF EVERY OTHER GIRL AT THIS PARTY IS DANCING.

Everything I needed to know, my parents told me. So when I had my first boyfriend and he tried “If you loved me, you would…” on me, I kicked him to the curb. When people — bus conductors especially have tried to touch me — even in benign ways like on my shoulders or less benign ways like on my waist — I know that I decide who touches me and where and I firmly say “Don’t touch me.” When the cat-calling began, as annoying and shockingly graphic as it was, it wasn’t new information.

Moreover, with the foundation they set, I was able to evaluate information I encountered when I eventually started trying to find my own answers to the things I was curious about. My searching enabled me to learn things that would have perhaps been beyond the scope of my parents. Life moves very quickly and suddenly for many of us (but not suddenly at all in reality) — being LGBTQ is a thing, gender is a spectrum, Trans people exist etc. These are things, about which my parents know less than I do, and I’ve been able to talk to them about it. For example, just last Sunday I had the difficult task of explaining how someone who is “Intersex” might experience various levels of body dysmorphia and gender dysphoria.

I’m telling you all of this because at twenty-two, I can have conversations about sex with both of my parents without anyone cringing. If a sex scene comes on in a movie we’re watching no one bats an eyelid. I can talk to anyone about sex, I’m not afraid to say the word sex, or penis, or vagina. Yet, even at 22, I have friends who are just like the 12 year olds who knew nothing. I have friends who are woefully misinformed, under-informed and generally lost as to what sex really means. I have friends who their only sex education came from a pastor who said wait until marriage. I have friends whose only sex education came from the boy who told them “just dweet” (dweet means do it in Jamaican Patois), when they were 16. I have friends who blush or giggle when someone says penis or vagina. Friends who are so ashamed of their own sexual organs, friends who don’t know how they got pregnant in the first place, friends who’ve been assaulted and don’t even know they have been etc etc etc. The list goes on and on.

When I told my 6th form Literature class a quarter of the things my parents told me about sex everyone cringed, said it was gross, couldn’t think of their parents speaking about sex much less having sex.

During my time as a Writer/Reporter on the Talk Up Yout School Tour — I met kids who wanted more sex education in their schools because they didn’t know anything about sex, and teachers who thought telling them anything other than the basic penis goes into vagina repeat process was immoral. I met people who thought children generally shouldn’t know anything about sex, and blamed people telling their kids about sex for the high rate of teenage pregnancy.

Seriously Jamaica and everywhere else. Sexual Education in our schools needs to be revamped to reflect the society we live in, where parents are sending their children out to have sex with older men for money. We can’t tell those kids “Abstinence Is the Only Way” any more. We can’t tell anyone that Abstinence is the ONLY way any more. It’s crazy, and it will never work.Take the time to talk these children. Let them know that their bodies belong to them, and whatever they choose to do with their bodies will have repercussions.

My point is. Sex education in school is a necessity, but the problem begins at home.

If parents don’t educate their children, then they leave them vulnerable to misinformation and cannot really be upset when their children make mistakes.

​Talk to your kids. You don’t have to be as graphic/thorough as my parents, but talk to them. And more importantly, make sure they know they can talk to you.