TORONTO, Canada – (JIS)- Young people of Jamaican heritage living in Canada have launched the Diaspora Mentorship Programme, pledging to lend their support and assistance to young persons living in Jamaica.
At the second Jamaican Diaspora Canada Future Leadership Summit, held recently at the Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto, Canada, the young people proclaimed their “commitment to collaborate, and create networking and partnership with the Government of Jamaica, the Jamaican business community and Jamaicans in the Diaspora, and to further our development by mentorship with members of the Diaspora.”
Leo Campbell, Director of Future Leadership of the Jamaican Diaspora-Canada Foundation (JD-CF), said the Summit was an opportunity for young Jamaican/Canadians to set Jamaica and Jamaicans on a trajectory of blazing a new trend of co-operation between those in Canada and those in Jamaica.
In launching the Mentorship programme, Mr. Campbell explained that the letters in the word ‘diaspora’ stood for “diversity, initiative, ability, strength, purpose, organization, respect and action.”
He noted that young people of Jamaican heritage were a privileged group, from a blessed nation with a destiny to accomplish greatness, and were standing on the shoulders of some very powerful and significant leaders.
“Beginning with the rebellions of the enslaved Africans, from the Maroons and Nanny, to Paul Bogle, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the Manleys, and Bustamante, the little island in the sun has also produced the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, Miss Lou and have claims on people like Harry Belafonte and even Colin Powell.
Here in Canada, Harry Gairey, Stan Grizzle, Rosemary Brown, Alvin Curling, Dudley Laws, Mary Anne Chambers, Michael Lee Chin, and Raymond Chang are names that quickly come to mind,” he said.
He also reminded the audience that there was an army of Jamaicans, including parents, who were not famous, but whose work on the frontlines was just as important.
Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Canada, Evadne Coye welcomed the staging of the Summit. She commented on the lack of young people in most established organizations and said this could be a detriment to the continuation of the groups.
The High Commissioner encouraged the young persons to spend some time in Jamaica with a group dedicated to young people, such as the HEART Trust/NTA, and she implored them to be proud of who they were and their country of origin.
“Crime and violence are what the newspapers write about Jamaica, not the wonderful achievements. Be proud of Jamaica. It will show in your life and how you view this country which has done a lot,” she said.
Clover Barnett from HEART Trust/NTA, in response to a question on how a young Canadian can give back to Jamaica, mentioned the organization’s “Unattached Youth” programme.
“These are young people not in school or having formal training. They need examples of good youth. Many of them are guys on the corner and can be future leaders but just need that extra push. So if you are in Jamaica and want to talk to them, just your presence, knowing that you care will help them,” she said.
President of the JD-CF, Philip Mascoll said it was hoped that the 50 young people who would be a part of the Canadian delegation to the third Jamaican Diaspora Conference in June in Kingston would come out of the Summit.
Also in attendance were Jamaica’s Consul General to Toronto, Anne-Marie Bonner; former minister of government, Mary Anne Chambers; former councillor for the city of Brampton, Garnett Manning; Vice-President of the JD-CF, Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams; President of the Jamaican Canadian Association, Sandra Carnegie-Douglas; and Executive Director of the Black Action Defence Committee, Dudley Laws.
