KINGSTON, Jamaica – On the heels of a successful launch of the LASCO Chin Foundation (LCF) on Thursday, September 20, 2018, members of the Jamaica Diaspora in Florida will collaborate with the LCF in hosting their Inaugural Benefit Gala in Orlando and Miramar over the weekend of Friday, November 16 and Sunday, November 18, 2018 respectively.
Venued at Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando and Miramar Cultural Center the fundraisers will have keynote addresses by the Most Hon. P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Senator the Hon Ruel Reid, Minister of Education, Youth and Information is a special guest.
Both galas are being hosted with the support of the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JDETF).
Chairman of the Foundation, Founder and Executive Chairman of the LASCO Affiliated Companies Hon Lascelles A. Chin, O.J, C.D, LLD said it was always his life’s dream to help Jamaica.
“This Foundation will create a legacy greater than all my business achievements combined. Long after I am gone and the present LASCO management team is no longer around, the LASCO Chin Foundation will be here in Jamaica,” said Chairman.
“In business life, it is important to recognise the ills of the society in which we operate, and work at being a part of the solution. We need to get to the core cause and build from the ground up, step by step, in a deliberate and planned way,” he continued.
Theory and Practice of Change
Chief Executive Officer of the new charitable arm of the LASCO Affiliated Companies, Professor Rosalea Hamilton, detailed the vision, mission and core strategies of LCF as: “A change to the way Jamaica views and treats its most vulnerable young people, so that they can be empowered and have access to a range of opportunities to succeed in life generally and business in particular.
“We, therefore, see our mission as early intervention to help Jamaica’s at-risk youths develop the relationships, goals and capacities needed to break the cycle of poverty and crime and become productive members of society, especially as successful entrepreneurs,” she added.
In pursuing their mission, LCF will be guided by the Sustainable Socio-Economic Intervention (SSI) Model© in its outreach efforts.
The model aims to battle the core problems of poverty – with special emphasis on at-risk youths with a high likelihood of exposure to the criminal justice system and/or involvement in crime – and deficiencies in the quality of services (solutions) offered to the youth in key areas such as education, healthcare, crime prevention, sports, music/culture and climate change awareness and resilience.
The Foundation will implement two key interventions: The SSI Entrepreneurship Program, a two-phased initiative that includes providing beneficiaries entrepreneurial training and opportunities to practice elements of their training while earning money in an intensive, highly-incentivised street vending program or other micro-business sales program for at least six months in Phase 1.
The second phase assists beneficiaries with establishing or improving their own business through a range of hand-holding interventions for five to 10 years.
The second key intervention is the SSI Schooling Support Program that will target at-risk youths from as early as 10 years of age and partner with primary schools to identify students due to sit the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) who are unlikely to overcome the extreme risk factors affecting their school performance unless they receive assistance.
Each student will be provided a consistent long-term, professional relationship for approximately 10 years focused on personal development goals, which will also support the youth in his/her school, home and community.
Leo Gilling, chairman of JDETF, said the collaboration with the Foundation is perfectly aligned.
“Our goals match, as we see education as the key to national development. The SSI Schooling Support Programme focuses on the educational development of the whole child. It is supported by parental and community interventions that provides sustainable solutions to the crime problem plaguing our island Home. Our collaboration with the benefit galas is important for creating awareness and sensitising the Diaspora of Jamaica’s needs,” Gilling said.
