Message from the National Child Month Committee
Beginning in 1953 as a concert of three (3) Agencies (The Child Welfare Association, the Jamaica Children’s Service Society and the Jamaica Save the Children’s Fund), the National Child Month Committee is a composite of approximately thirty (30) Agencies and independent volunteers, with a mission to “to use the month of May, recognized nationwide as Child Month, to educate the public about the needs of children and articulate what each of us can do to help”.
Our objectives are:
1. To bring together the many agencies working on behalf of, and with children, to collaborate on Child Month to focus on the needs of children island-wide.
2. To heighten public awareness of the many issues and challenges negatively affecting development of children and of steps that can be taken to address some of these issues and effectively meet the challenges.
3. To mobilize resources and facilitate action to support children focused programmes; and
4. To recognize outstanding voluntary services rendered by children in their communities.
Our approach to our activities in May, and those outside of May have been modified this year with the advent of the covid-19 Virus. Nonetheless Child Month 2020 will still be recognized and celebrated.
The theme for 2020 is Unplug Negativity, Connect Positivity...think!!! It is a deliberate focus on the distracting and destructive potential of technology and social media, and helping persons to reorient into more human-to-human connections, to being more discerning of content ingested, and to be more conscious of their digital footsteps. The admonition that our theme declares is instructive, especially in the environment of a global pandemic. In this ‘infodemic’ atmosphere, let us unplug falsehood, panic, fear, discrimination and other negatives, and connect to truth, accuracy, helpful and reassuring information, connect to each other and most importantly, connect to God. Parents/ Adults, let us use this period to really get to know and be more of a positive influence on our children. Seek for more productive ways to utilize the technology which we possess, without being automatons and losing the human touch. Use the technology to build a bridge, not drive a wedge.
I leave you with a few lines from the song We are the World
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Let us Unplug Negativity, Connect Positivity...think!!! We can do it!