Social Impact with Emma » University of Technology : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Get Safe Online – and Learn Some Life Skills

March 8th, 2020

The Broadcasting Commission is doing a grand job with public education. I do love their television ads, which are vibrant, well targeted and have a big dose of Jamaican energy and humor. Their “What If?” commercial (here’s the hip-hop version) is very well crafted, targeting youth with their warnings about the use or misuse of […]

In Need of Care and Protection: At the SOS Children’s Villages

October 15th, 2017

Towards the end of the summer, I had the opportunity to visit two SOS Children’s Villages in Jamaica: one in Stony Hill, St. Andrew and the other in Barrett Town, near Montego Bay. On both occasions, the villages were relatively quiet; most of the children were out enjoying themselves at summer camps, before the new […]

iCreate Institute: Looking Towards the “Orange Economy”

October 17th, 2016

It all makes perfect sense. iCreate Institute, launched last week at the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) in Kingston, has the potential to take entrepreneurship and education in a direction . Through this partnership, practical steps are being taken to equip young Jamaicans with the tools to turn their creative dreams into something solid, […]

A Conversation on the Move: Talking Media (and Ackee Walk) with Makeda Bawn

April 17th, 2016

Makeda Bawn and I are dodging raindrops on the campus of the University of Technology (UTech). We move from the Island Grill outlet (where a noisy game of dominoes dominates) to a set of waterproof concrete tables and chairs under a small tree. Warm, wet drops start falling. So, on to the Library, where Ms. […]

A Question of Ego – or Love?

December 21st, 2015

Rev. Father Sean Major-Campbell is, in my view, an extraordinary “church man.” He certainly is in the modern Jamaican context, in a society fraught with divisions (real or imagined). The priest at the Anglican Christ Church in Vineyard Town, Kingston not only advocates for human rights, that is human rights for all, but demonstrates these core […]

The Ubuntu Essence of Humanity Awards: We Are All Connected

December 12th, 2015

The ringing sound of drums drew me towards the auditorium where a special event was about to begin. This was no ordinary award ceremony; we have plenty of those throughout the year. This celebration held a special energy, coming from a very sad place – a candle in the dark, perhaps. And it was a […]

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