THE JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation this year invested $1.5 million in holistic developmental programmes for over 200 young people across Jamaica, by supporting a range of summer initiatives.

“We decided to partner with several organisations in the execution of their various summer programmes in a bid to cater to the psychosocial needs of our young people, helping them to tap into their greatness and uncover their academic prowess and/or creative talents,” shared Kim Mair, CEO of the foundation. “We believe that it is important to cater to the ‘whole person’ and as such, we have supported numerous developmental activities in the arts, environmental sustainability, education, spiritual and leisure activities, which will fuel the passion in our youth, allow them to develop new skills and/or deepen their understanding of specific topics and simply have fun as they engage with their peers, coming on the heels of several such activities being curtailed during the pandemic.”

Professor Gunjan Mansingh, former head of Department of Computing at the University of the West Indies, Mona and co-chair of the JamCoders summer camp, which is focused on algorithms and programming for high school students, lauded the foundation and outlined that through its support alongside other corporate bodies, the initiative has expanded to students drawn from all 14 parishes free of cost.

“This sponsorship allowed us to have equitable representation of students, from varying socio-economic backgrounds and varying skills, who at the end of the residential camp were excited about how much they learnt and the enriching experience,” he said.

The camp, which is run jointly with co-chair Professor Jelani Nelson of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, provided a cultural melting pot, with instructors drawn from eight countries globally.

“At the end of the camp students were able to benefit from getting to know a little more about these countries while immersing the instructors in Jamaican culture,” he said.

The idea to start JamCoders was initially conceived by Jamar McNaughton (Chronixx) and the Chronixx team, who made a generous founding donation to support creation of the programme through his CHOR Foundation.

Chauntelle Parkins, scientific officer at UWI Port Royal Marine lab and coordinator of the Marine Mania summer camp, which ran until August 11, also commended the foundation for its longstanding partnership dating back to 2014, and has seen both organisations collaborating to execute several eco-friendly projects. The marine biologist credits the foundation’s financial support for assisting the camp to put into practice some of the environmentally sustainable practices taught in the camp and also help the future generation to develop a better appreciation for conservation and preservation of the environment.

“The financial backing also allowed us to enhance the activities provided to the campers, which included a boat tour, snorkelling, restoration and preservation activities,” shared Parkins.

Other partnering organisations included WWKIDS Summer Fun Reading Programme, Create with Aunty Ama, Reading is Fundamental, Moorlands Camp, Debating Competition, Balm Summer Programme, Ashe, CBL Foundation, City Life Ministries, SEYA, and Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The contribution to these initiatives is in keeping with the foundation’s mandate to help all Jamaicans tap into their greatness and to transform the lives of individuals through education, entrepreneurship, environmental preservation and community building, thereby causing a ripple effect in families, communities and the country.