West Kingston men awarded on Men’s Day

ON MONDAY, four men from West Kingston were presented with Amazing Men awards at the International Men’s Day observance held under the theme ‘Reinforcing Positive Male Role Models’.

Hosted at the Regional Headquarters of the University of the West Indies in St Andrew, the observance was put on by the Bureau of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Citizen Security and Justice Programme.

The organisers said the idea was to “recognise and celebrate the contribution of men to social, cultural and economic development of the Jamaican society; to forge linkages with multiple stakeholders and male interest groups; and to promote positive male role models.”

The recipients were Nicholas Campbell, Earle Malcolm, Wayne Bartley and Wayne Williams. The awards were part of the UNDP’s Rejuvenating Community Project, which is piloting the community empowerment model in West Kingston “to nurture trust and build a cohesive society”.

AN ‘EFFERVESCENT FEELING’

The UNDP said the project “seeks to enhance the community through the repurposing of community spaces, the development of alternative livelihoods for youths, and increased dialogue between citizens and state-based service providers”.

It also aims to enhance the capacity of West Kingston Community Development committees for improved coordination and service delivery. The programme has been running since September 2015 and will terminate around December next year.

The four men – Campbell from Hannah Town, Malcolm from Denham Town, Bartley from Tivoli Gardens, and Williams from Fletchers Land – have been involved in various aspects of development in their communities, expressed pride in the work that they are doing, and are very appreciative of their awards.

Williams said it was an “effervescent feeling”, one that is “incomparable”.