The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Jamaicans Inspired UK, a youth-based diaspora organization in the United Kingdom on Thursday, October 13, at 2:00 pm. The signing will take place in the Boardroom of the JCDC’s Head Office, located at 3-5 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston 10.
This MOU will cement a partnership between the two organizations, allowing Jamaicans Inspired UK to strengthen its reach in Jamaica as it seeks to achieve its vision of empowering communities through effective and sustainable development and the mobilisation of young people, while simultaneously allowing the JCDC to extend its diaspora reach through the Jamaicans Inspired UK’s network, which will allow for additional support for parish projects.
A pilot project has already been launched out of this union, which entails Jamaicans Inspired UK sponsoring Parish Projects for the 2016 Miss St. Thomas, Miss Hanover and Miss Manchester Festival Queens.
According to the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the JCDC, Mr. Stephen Davidson: “The JCDC is excited to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with Jamaicans Inspired UK, as we acknowledge that we both have similar goals for the provision of services to the public, which contribute to social and economic development, sustainable community development and nation building.”
Davidson further stated that through the pilot project, the 2016 parish queens: Miss Hanover, Chevaun Gray and Miss St. Thomas, Shannay Williams had already received additional funding for their parish projects, while Miss Manchester, Sharmica Holness is next in line.
“The parish projects undertaken by our Parish Queens are outreach-based and often focus on assisting disadvantaged youth in the community. We are therefore even more grateful and excited for Jamaicans Inspired UK’s sponsorship of these projects, as it will assist in widening their reach.” Davidson continued.
Jamaicans Inspired UK states their purpose as that of building communities and the community spirit in Jamaica with further aims of supporting the first, second, third and fourth generations of Jamaican young people living in the United Kingdom by helping to reconnect them to Jamaica, in addition to supporting economic growth and development in regions of low income and poverty through its operations in both territories.
Signing the MOU will be Dr. Delroy Gordon, JP, Executive Director of the JCDC and Mr. Nathaniel Peat, Founder and Chairman of Jamaicans Inspired UK.
