KINGSTON, Jamaica – A media campaign seeking to engage the nation in conversation about societal transformation prioritising the needs and desires of residents, has been launched by Project STAR.

Project STAR (Social Transformation and Renewal), a social and economic transformation initiative created by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), consults and collaborates with community stakeholders to identify needs.

In a release on Tuesday, Project STAR said the campaign dubbed “FAHWUD Movement”, which carries a television commercial that features community residents, Jamilia Campbell and Raheim Robinson, will prioritise through consultation, “the needs and desires of residents actively involved in their own community-led development.

Campbell and Robinson are two voices from an initial group of 10 community residents that are featured in the national media campaign being implemented by Project STAR to shine a light on the resilience of Jamaicans in under-resourced communities where the Project STAR team is working.

“The campaign is about putting people at the forefront of the work of Project STAR. It involves community members engaging in their own action towards transformation. Everybody Fahwud is Project STAR’s expression that we can work together to create a society where we are all valued and have the opportunity to thrive – to go forward in numerous ways,” said Saffrey Brown, project director at Project STAR.

Brown said the campaign is about engaging the whole society in that vision by using the voices of the people who are currently involved in creating change for themselves and their communities.

“Their voices have always been muffled, silenced, and sidelined. This campaign is about finding an outlet for their voices. And hence they are at the forefront of the messages and communication. Project STAR is community informed. Community led and community owned,” she emphasised.

Brown said that the campaign is also aimed at building awareness about Project STAR and encouraging others to join the movement and help make a difference in the targeted communities.

According to Tasheka Wynter, a resident of Parade Gardens who has benefitted from Project STAR’s employment programme is giving the initiative a thumbs up as she said since interacting with Project STAR, her life has taken a positive turn. She is encouraging others to work with the team.

“I would encourage others to work with Project STAR. It’s worth it. You never know what might happen. For me, I benefited financially as I was able to be placed in a job. Project STAR is true to its words,” she said.