Caribbean News
JAMAICA: I Believe Initiative to Provide Mental Health Support for Young People
Montego Bay, October 27, 2018 – Jamaica – Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says the ‘I Believe Initiative’ will be working collaboratively to address mental health issues affecting youth. Such support, he said, will better enable individuals to realise their full potential, cope with stress, work productively and 
make a meaningful contribution to communities.
“Youth who are battling mental health crises cannot be empowered to realise their God-given potential and contribute meaningfully to national development, hence what we are doing today,” the Governor-General pointed out. He was speaking at the 2018 National Youth Consultative Conference on ‘Mental Health Among Youth held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Montego Bay, St. James on Thursday (October 25).
The Governor-General is imploring persons to seek help once there are signs of mental health issues.
“If you or someone in your home, your community and your school has mental health challenges, go to your guidance counsellor, pastor, your community mental health nurse or a responsible adult whom you can trust, and share the problem and get help,” he advised.
The Governor-General noted that having a positive sense of self is critical in enabling persons to tackle challenges they are faced with daily, which may threaten their mental health.
“Young people, I am here to tell you that no matter how many ‘likes’ you get on Facebook or Instagram, whether it is a thousand or a million, or how many persons watch your snaps, you must love and appreciate and believe in your thoughts and abilities,” he said.
The National Youth Consultative Conference, which is in its 7th staging, is a component of the I Believe Initiative that aims to encourage all Jamaicans to develop a sense of self-assurance and national pride.
The values-based programme is founded on the concept that there is nothing wrong in Jamaica that cannot be fixed by what is right with Jamaica.
It embodies the ideal of a Jamaica in which individuals are inspired to believe in and actualise their full potential, as well as contribute to the building of a prosperous, progressive and peaceful nation.
Release: JIS
Contact: Tashion Hewitt Stennett
Photo Caption (JIS File Photo): Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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