The Flow Foundation, in a significant stride toward enhancing internet accessibility, has gifted high-speed broadband connections to several community institutions as part of its Mission Week 2023 efforts.

Bellevue Hospital in Kingston, Cross Keys Community Centre in Manchester, and the Jackie Norman Youth Entrepreneurial Programme (JNYEP) in St James are now linked to Flow’s fibre fast network, providing vital digital resources.

The upgraded internet infrastructure at Cross Keys Community Centre and JNYEP is set to bolster educational and training programmes, facilitating an environment where students and residents can engage in online activities. This technological enhancement is especially crucial for assisting students with their educational needs and supporting a diverse range of training initiatives.

Jackie Norman, the visionary behind JNYEP, expressed her gratitude, noting that internet access is fundamental for empowering the youth with entrepreneurial skills.

“I wanted to make a difference and empower youths to become enterprising and progressive,” Norman stated. “As you can imagine, the Internet is a vital resource and necessary for us to achieve our goals. It is really such an advantage for us to have connectivity as this will expand our operations significantly and I am so appreciative of this donation.”

Similarly, Anthony Freckleton from the Cross Keys Community Centre recognised the transformative impact that reliable internet will have on his community’s support work.

In addition, the Bellevue Hospital has received a much-needed boost to its ability to conduct research and engage its residents using technology.

Kayon Mitchell, Flow’s Director of Communications and Executive Director of the Flow Foundation, said these initiatives are a step towards universal digital literacy, emphasizing the necessity of internet access in modern education and community development.

“Our mission is to ensure that Jamaicans all over have access to digital tools and opportunity to become digitally literate. It is as necessary as your basic education,” stated Mitchell. “These organisations play an integral intermediary role between the residents and public and private agencies that provide critical services for a better quality of life. Access to reliable high-speed internet service is a critical resource for these entities to achieve their goals and remain relevant in today’s data-driven society. We’re pleased to have been able to provide our fibre fast network to these organisations.”

The Flow Foundation didn’t stop at connectivity; other Mission Week activities included supporting over 300 students with School-Based Assessment workshops, one of which was hosted by the newly connected JNYEP and extending a helping hand to the homeless at the Marie Atkins Night Shelter in Kingston.

Mission Week is an annual employee-driven programme that allows team members of Flow and parent company Liberty Latin America to volunteer their knowledge and skills to positively impact communities.