Social Impact with Emma » Caribbean : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Reggae Music Sustains Caribbean Climate Change Campaign

March 1st, 2016

Remember the slogan: One Point Five to Stay Alive? Well, the Caribbean campaign to keep global temperatures to a maximum 1.5 degree rise had an extraordinary impact on the COP21 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris last December. And musicians helped to amplify the message, guided and encouraged by the dedicated team at Panos Caribbean. […]

St. John Jamaica Trains Volunteers on Zika Virus: What is Certain, and What is Not

February 13th, 2016

Has the Zika Virus been with us all along? This was the question that turned itself over and over in my mind, as I sat in on a training session for St. John Ambulance volunteers at their Kingston headquarters last week. Dr. Garth Officer seems to be of that opinion. The virus “is not new,” […]

Rwandan Women: Peace Leaders, Advocates and Implementers

November 9th, 2015

“South-South” really does mean something, you know. To me, it means discovering links, parallels, connections you never guessed would have existed. You are not getting pre-packaged prescriptions from those countries to the North, while you make huge efforts to fit your own experience into the templates they offer, quite often finding them lacking. South-South is […]

#KickOutGBV: More Than Just a Hashtag

October 22nd, 2015

Where is Jamaica going in the campaign against gender-based violence? Are we getting anywhere? I asked myself this question repeatedly at a recent public forum on “Gender-Based Violence in the Caribbean,” ably organized by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Model United Nations and the Department of Government in collaboration with Respect Jamaica. The […]

“Not a Poppy Show”: Activism and the Politics of Personal Conviction

October 15th, 2015

National Heroes Day is coming up. Perhaps it’s time to reflect on the inspiration that our heroes can infuse into our lives. At a recent Induction Ceremony and training session organized by the anti-corruption group National Integrity Action (NIA), members had a special treat: a personal insight into a period of youth activism at the […]

Why Can’t We Have a Parliament Building To Be Proud Of?

September 23rd, 2015

I spent this morning at Gordon House. It’s a nondescript building that anyone passing down Duke Street would completely overlook, if they did not know Kingston. The thought crossed my mind: Why are we stuck with this sad little apology of a Parliament building? The downtown area has some perfectly splendid buildings, many of a […]

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