For the past 15 months, Montego Bay has been under an ongoing State of Emergency (SOE) due to the high levels of crime and violence. This SOE has been extended until November 1, 2019. As Montego Bay grapples with its growing crime rate, it has been argued that addressing crime and violence requires a multifaceted approach. Research suggests that when young people have very limited options to pursue their dreams, they may resort to alternatives such as crime and violence. In the months preceding the announcement of the SOE, many of our young men, in particular, have either been killed or arrested due to their involvement in illegal activities such as scamming. As such, we have to ensure that our society provides avenues for our young people to realize their potential in meaningful ways. Consequently, our partnership with the National Integrity Agency (NIA) seeks to create such a platform.
OurKids Academy in partnership with NIA will provide an opportunity for young people to improve their social, academic, physical and psychological skills through our program – GetUp. Although this program will serve its purpose of transforming the lives of 25 young people in Montego Bay, there are more opportunities to increase our impact on the students’ lives as well as that of their communities. The partnership with NIA focuses on training young people in order to alter their behavior and provides an opportunity for them to use their skills on a wider scale.
The goal of this partnership is to use sports as a vehicle to strengthen the resilience of children and youth to make positive decisions on their future and to inculcate the value of integrity, good sportsmanship and excellence in them for them to be a force against crime and violence amongst residents of crime stricken communities