New PATH campaign aims to uplift morale of children

New PATH communications campaign aims to uplift morale of children

Dunstan Bryan
PATH Director

Project Director of the Programme for the Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) Dunstan Bryan said that a communications campaign to help to stop the higher than acceptable drop-out rate of boys after Grade Nine is about to be launched.

Speaking to the Public Relations Society of Jamaica on May 28, Mr Bryan he said that the boys interviewed reported that the treatment that they received as PATH beneficiaries made them feel that school was not for them. He also noted that guidelines are now in place to assist school administrators to adopt best practices when they delivered PATH services. Among these services are meals in schools.

Noting that the goal of PATH as about breaking inter-generational poverty, Mr Bryan said, “What we get is a perverse message where the child is no longer sees PATH as a vehicle to attainment; but the child sees PATH as labelling him as poor, and because of poverty you don't deserve to be treated like everybody."

The “A School We Seh” campaign that will be launched features entertainers Tony Rebel, Romain Virgo and Miss Kitty reassuring the children that the way ahead was to stay in school, and use education to build a future out of poverty.

Mr Bryan also reinforced that PATH beneficiaries were expected to use the programme as a vehicle to attain their own financial independence.

Noting that PATH is a benefit to the society, Mr Bryan said, “People we are investing in now can make a positive investment in the economic environment in the future. If I did not make that investment now, the opportunity cost of the investment in that individual would be excessive.”

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Corporate Canape Recognition and Announcements

Business developments 

A steering committee facilitated by Jamcopy has been meeting towards forming a guild of writers for Jamaica

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The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment is undergoing public consultations towards having a rating system for events. The consultations also touch on appropriate venues and a revised process for events that wish to go beyond 2AM.

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The Jamaica Diaspora Conference will be from June 16-19 in Montego Bay. The discussions will also place very specific emphasis on further strengthening the Diaspora’s social investments and contribution to Health and Education. 

Brochure: http://www.jamaicadiaspora.org/wp-content/members/admin/uploads/homhost/uploads/Updated-Conference-Brochure-2013.pdf

Related website http://jamaicadiasporaconnect.com/conferences
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The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) is hosting the Caribbean Electric Utility Service CorpCEO and Regional Communications conference in Kingston from May 27 to May 29. PRSJ Members Alison Christie Binger and Yvonne Grinham Nicholson are presenters.
http://carilec.com/conference/CEO2013Bk.pdf
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Professional Movements

Mrs Trevesa Ashman is now the Regional Public Relations Coordinator, Sandals Resorts

Sasha-Gay Lewis is the communications contact for the Ministry of Youth and Culture

Ms Carlene Edwards was promoted to Sponsorship & Public Relations Manager at Supreme Ventures Limited

Mrs Pauline Stone Myrie is now with the Office of the Prime Minister

Janett Peters is acting as head of PR for the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development

Neville Graham has assumed the position of Director of Communication at the Ministry of Health

Sports industry professional, Carole Beckford, is the Special Assistant to the President of the West Indies Cricket Board and the President of the Business of Sport

Short Courses 

CARIMAC 

Designing brand identity systems starts May 29

Writing for PR - The Essentials starts June 10

Illuminarte

Customised in-house programmes

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Twitter: @PRSJm

Corporate Canapé - recognition and announcements

 Corporate Canapé

 Recognition and Announcements

Director of Development and Public Relations at the Institute of Jamaica is Durrant Pate

Carlene L Edwards has been promoted to Sponsorship and Public Relations Manager at Supreme Ventures

Clover Johnston is the General Manager of the Bob Marley Museum

Trevesa DaSilva Ashman will shortly demit her post at the Office of the Children’s Registry

The photo album, Our Golden Jubilee of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) received the 2012-2013 Mercury Excellence Award bronze award in the photo album category for general audience. Mercury Excellence is an international awards programme for public relations

Public Relations practitioner Maia Chung of the Ministry of Agriculture  - Rural Agriculture Development Agency (RADA) will shortly launch her memoirs Maia's Journal: A Jamaican Mother's Journey with Autism

Past President, Janneth Mornan Green has launched her poetry anthology Crossings

Audrey Williams of the Jamaica Public Service has published her Kindle e-book Our Bad Dogs

Ann Margaret Lim of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade's anthology of poems Festival of Wild Orchid was shortlisted for the Bocas literary prize for poetry

Head of the Nortnern Caribbean University's Department of Communication Studies, Elaine Oxamendi Vicet, recently curated the Lignum Vitae Symposium and Film Festival called Show me the Ginger

Christopher Benjamin recently concluded PR arrangements for the commemoration of Earth Day by the Jamaica Environment Trust

Head of communications at Western Union, Patria Kay Aarons, executed the agency's annual Reading Week and is preparing for their debating competition

Dionne Rhoden and Simone Clarke Cooper are anchoring the 30th year of the participation of Grace Kennedy in the 30th Child Month activities of the Ministry of Youth and Culture

Maxine McDonnough and Marcia McDonnough of Touchstone Productions are preparing for the renewal of Jamaican Epicurean Escape food festival later this year

Grace Morrison recently executed another Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) 5K Walk Run on the Palisadoes Road with timekeeping by On Di Run

Marie Berbick Graham is now the Public Relations Manager at the Jamaica Information Service.

Director, Client Services, Communication and Information at Court Management Services, Sydian Brissett recently executed the awards ceremony for graduates of the etiquette course at the Family Court Attendance Centre of the Family Court.

PROComm recently executed the National Road Safety Council's recognition events around the visit of Prince Michael of Kent and the international road safety award that is named after him.

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Christmas Card from the Public Relations Society of Jamaica

Merry Christmas from the Public Relations Society of Jamaica

Click on the link to see our Jacquie Lawson Christmas Card.

Opportunities - US Embassy, Early Childhood Commission

The PRSJ has been advised that there will be job openings soon in the following areas:

USA Embassy Kingston PR Office.
Popular practitioner and journalist, Fern Whyte, will shortly be pursuing higher education.

The Early Childhood Commission in the Oxford Mall, Downtown Kingston will be shortly screening applicants for the post that includes public relations.

Mr Meeckel Beecher will be closing his service with the Institute of Jamaica to join the Jamaica Anti Doping Commission (JADCO).

To join the PRSJ, Click here to visit the Members Section of our website to download application form.

Are you paid up? To keep the work of the Society going ask for an invoice.

Live Trinidad TV discussion on PR solutions in Trinidad

The Public Relations Association of Trinidad and Tobago invites us to join them to watch a television programme Thursday morning, February 10, at 6:45 a.m. Jamaica (local) time on when Roy Mitchell, founder PRATT will be interviewed on the topic of Public Relations solutions to issues of public interest.

Streaming live at ctntworld.com/livestream/:

Former PRSJ President elected Chairman of Women's Leadership Initiative 2011-2013

Gleaner: December 27, 2010

Women's Leadership Initiative elects new chair


Communications Consultant Marcia Erskine has been elected chairman of the Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI) for 2011-2013.


She succeeds Senator Marlene Malahoo-Forte who recently completed a two-year term as chair of the WLI, a committee of the United Way of Jamaica (UWJ).

Mrs Erskine, managing director of the Kingston-based Caribbean Communications consultancy firm, Marcia Erskine and Associates and a member of the board of governors of the UWJ, is a founding member of the WLI and has served as chair of the communications committee since 2003.

She is also a member of the board of directors of the St Patrick's Foundation and a former president of both the Public Relations Society of Jamaica and the Jamaica and Caribbean chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

The WLI was launched in November 2003 by former United States Ambassador to Jamaica Sue McCort Cobb following a series of 'exchanges' between a select group of women in Jamaica and Florida, United States of America, aimed at fostering economic development, knowledge sharing and partnership between the two countries.

The WLI has since accomplished much, including substantial retooling of the Sylvia Foote Basic School and the Mary Issa Clinic at the Voluntary Organisation for the Upliftment of Children in downtown Kingston. The WLI also funds three scholarships to local tertiary institutions.

Mrs Erskine said that her focus as WLI chair is to continue the work of the inaugural chair, Pat Ramsay and her successor, Senator Malahoo Forte, to achieve the mission of the WLI of "building bridges of cooperation in developing, implementing and sustaining projects in health, education and philanthropy, which contribute to the improved well-being of all Jamaicans".