ATLANTA – The Atlanta Jamaica Association (AJA) has been charged to implement a youth travel and mentorship programme; Upliftment, Learning, and Intervention through Foreign Travel (UPLIFT). This program is aimed at exposing young Jamaican boys from age 7 to 18, by hosting them and their parents with families in the United States who will expose them to different experiences over a two-to-three-week period.
The implementation of this mentorship programme by the AJA was requested by Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks, as she addressed the organization’s Annual Independence Ball and Scholarship Awards at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel, on Saturday.
Ambassador Marks told the over 800 Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica that Jamaica at 61 was still a very young country and had made steady progress over the past 6 decades. She pointed out that Jamaica was among the top ten best known brands in the world, which was due to our culture, sports, music, food, and vibes of the Jamaican people.
In addition, Ambassador Marks informed that Jamaica was among the countries within the hemisphere which had a democratic tradition that can be emulated. She noted that while we had achieved political maturity, we were now working on our socio-economic challenges within the country and a singular problem is the recruiting of our young men away from finishing secondary education and into gangs.
She emphasized that the genesis of UPLIFT was to intervene and cauterize what is happening in the society as it relates to our young boys. The programme will be aimed at giving them an opportunity to change their environment affording them a different experience. Quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ambassador Marks stated that ‘Once the mind has expanded by a new experience, it can never regain its original dimensions”.
“This is one area that I know this organization can assist with that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our young boys. I am asking the AJA president and its members to join me in launching this pilot project in Atlanta. The organization will need to form a committee to assist with the recruiting, vetting and monitoring of suitable families for the programme. The participants will spend at least two weeks with a host family that has been qualified as a safe, nurturing environment and I know that will start a transformation,” Ambassador Marks said.
Ambassador Marks commended the organization’s president, Dr. Maxine Foster, and the members of the AJA on its 46th Anniversary, noting that since its founding in 1977, the AJA has constantly made remarkable contributions to Jamaica and the Jamaica-Atlanta community, by spearheading several worthwhile projects. Among the projects is an educational scholarship programme where this year, the organization awarded sixteen scholarships to Jamaican students.
Scenes from Atlanta Jamaica Association (AJA) Independence Ball
