Jodian Pantry gives her heart to school tour
Seventeen years ago, Jodian Pantry entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Gospel Festival Competition and placed second after performing ‘I’ll Give My Heart’, written by George Gordon.
Now married, Jodian PantryBrooks, says she has a mission to change the lives of the youth, and her journey as an entertainer has helped her to try doing so.
However, there are many social issues that persons are afraid to address.
Pantry-Brooks told The WEEKEND STAR, “I was the victim of sexual molestation while attending high school; that was a hard time in my life. One young lady reached out to me via social media, shared her story of abuse and eventually it led me to contacting the (then-named) Child Development Agency, and she is doing better.”
At 28, the It Wasn’t Easy singer says she still “has a very fragile heart, especially for persons that are hurting, I cannot sit back and not do anything”.
A Gleaner article also caught her attention.
The article showed that more young people, some as young as 14, were becoming vulnerable and attracted to a life of crime.
After reading it, Pantry decided to give her all to launching a school tour to help educate the youth towards peace and prosperity.
The gospel artiste and rising minister launched an all-island school tour last Thursday at Lennon High School in the hills of Mocho, Clarendon.
It was fittingly named the ‘I Will Give My Heart’ School Tour. Her single, No More Killing, released at the launch, is also the tour’s theme song.
“I spoke individually (about my personal experiences) to encourage youth who are not speaking up when they are being abused and had students breaking down. Students ended up requesting one-on-one talks,” she said.
She hopes the tour will help to foster social cohesion, strengthen minds, inform and show both the students and adults around them how to develop strategies to further make a positive impact in their communities.
It features performances, motivational speakers, face-toface counselling and spending time in the classrooms.
The ‘I Will Give My Heart’ team is made up of local and international gospel recording artistes, Chozenn, Lucas Musiq, Kevin Heath, Orville Sutherland, Rohan Hayles and the Leviticus Band as well as actress Camille Davis, who is the host for the entire school tour, which happens every other week.
“We want the youth to know that they are not alone and although they are vulnerable, they are more valuable,” she said. “All we need now is the additional help of our colleagues and corporate Jamaica to come on board as sponsors.”