Social Impact with Emma » volunteerism : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Here is Something Life-Saving You Can Do: Give Blood!

May 31st, 2020

We are thinking a lot about health, about life and death, these days in the time of COVID-19. But, as the German writer Goethe said, Blut ist ein ganz besondrer Saft. [Blood is a very special juice]. It is remarkable in many ways. Jamaicans are, in general, very squeamish about giving blood. Many are afraid […]

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 […]

Earth Day 2018: Can We Win the Battle Against Plastic?

April 23rd, 2018

This Earth Day, I found myself struggling with some philosophical truths. We humans are in danger of destroying everything around us (and thus, inevitably, ourselves) with situations that we have ourselves created (and one material in particular, which was this year’s Earth Day theme: plastic). Climate change has now been acknowledged by most scientists as […]

The Young Politicos: I Want Something New

March 27th, 2018

I have been thinking quite a bit about youth and politics, lately. As a former member of a youth arm in the UK (the Young Liberals) while I was at high school, I am uninspired by our young politicos. They are all lovely, bright people, but they are hardly thinking “outside the box.” In fact, […]

In The Cool Hills of Manchester, No One Apologised for Ageing

March 17th, 2018

There is nothing like a trip out of town. On arriving at the orderly, well kept and friendly St. John Bosco Boys’ Home in Hatfield, Manchester, we felt the softer, cooler air. And the quiet. These are rare commodities in the City of Kingston. We were there for the launch of a new chapter of […]

CVSS, the United Way and The Power of Youth Volunteerism

October 14th, 2017

What do you know about the Council for Voluntary Social Services (CVSS) and United Way of Jamaica? I’m sure that you have been hearing about them for years, but are unaware of the work they do. Well, my feet turned into the entrance to the National Volunteer Centre (NVC) on Camp Road. This is where […]

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