JPSCo donates $500,000 to Area 1 police youth clubs
MONTEGO BAY, St James – The external affairs department of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) in Montego Bay has pleadged $500,000 to boost the operations of the police youth clubs in Area 1.
The effort forms part of a new partnership between the utility company and the police Area One, which comprises the police divisions of Hanover, St James, Trelawny and Westmoreland.
Kathi Cooke, JPS’s external affairs manager for Montego Bay, said the partnership began late this year and would continue into next year when her company would conduct an assessment to determine whether to continue their support.
“The relationship started in the last quarter of this year and the entire project, which is for the rest of this year and into 2006, will be just over $500,000,” Cooke said.
The major projects to be undertaken this year include:
. the hosting of a leadership seminar for the 71 police youth club leaders in Area One;
. the sponsorship of an income generating project in the Westmoreland police division; and
. the launch of four more youth clubs before year-end.
Cooke explained that her company’s external affairs department had always been involved in community- and youth-enhancement projects and that it was a against this background that they now acted with the police.
“Commitment to youth is what JPS, through external affairs, has had for quite a while and we are always seeking opportunities to grow our contribution to youth and to do whatever we can for the development of young people. We have come to terms with the fact that indeed young people are the future of our country,” she said.
Senior Superintendent of police Jasmine Tomlinson Brown, who is the acting head of Area 1, thanked the JPSco while agreeing that youths were the nation’s future leaders.
“When the JPS look at the police to say, well we are going to be, partners with you to assist with your programmes, we have to say thanks. You know the youths are the future leaders of the country and our problems now are with the youths between the ages of, say, 10 and 25,” he said.
-hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com
