Social Impact with Emma » University of the West Indies : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

We Are the Zoomers

August 20th, 2020

If someone had mentioned the word “Zoom” to me in 2019, I would have looked at them blankly, wondering what it was. When explained to me, I would have said vaguely, “Oh, that’s interesting,” and moved on. In 2019, we were meeting in cafés, holding retreats, signing up for various forums in hotels, caught up […]

Development Dramas and Urban Issues

February 9th, 2020

Issues surrounding housing and land in Jamaica seem to go round and round, spinning in ever-decreasing circles, while those affected seek “solutions” that are rarely arrived at. Here are a few examples… In Port Royal, the Government postponed plans late last year to relocate the long-standing (or sitting) squatter community in the town. Now, Member […]

Cockpit Country: Is It Really All About the Boundaries?

November 29th, 2019

Ceiling fans whirred and night sounds crept through the windows of the Webb Memorial Baptist Church in Stewart Town, Trelawny earlier this evening. A Town Hall Meeting was in progress, streamed live on Facebook on the websites of the sponsors, the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ), the Public Access Channel (PAC) and the Jamaica Gleaner. […]

Civil Society Collaborates to Influence Health Policy for Mothers and Infants

November 10th, 2019

As I entered the quiet, cozy Alhambra Inn recently, I stopped to look at the beautiful koi carp swirling in the water near the entrance. I was prepared to be inspired, not only by these majestic fish. Why? Because I was attending a meeting organized by the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC). I know […]

Youth Activism Is Alive and Well – If Given the Chance

May 16th, 2019

Our Jamaican youth often get a “bad rap.” Many Jamaicans believe they are lazy and self-centered. Millennials, in particular (slightly older) are seen as shallow and obsessed with material things. Jamaican adults often put young people down; between the ages of twelve and twenty-five, say, they are not entitled to express an opinion or have a seat […]

The Nature of Violence, Youth and Broken Windows

December 27th, 2018

I was astounded to read in the New York Daily News that for five days over Christmas, there were no murders at all in that city of 8.6 million. Zero. Now, New York is a deep, dark, gritty city – everyone who has been there will agree. It is bursting with energy, day and night. It […]

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