Just look at the gleaner and saw

[Assasin]

one of my mom's best friend who grew up in our house and like my mom contributed to the life of so many from Portland and St.Mary and others from Kingston commenting on the discipline in Portland schools.


http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ad/lead10.html

God bless Sister Liz, keep up the good work.

[Islandman]

Boy I tell you it has been a depressing week of news from Jamaica. These are the kinds of problems that teachers alone or even govt alone cannot solve.

I just started reading a book named "Whatever it Takes" about the Harlem Children's Zone, which I have heard a lot about in the last few years. I wish we had some resources in JA to attempt a project that follows these principles. Obama was impressed by it but couldn't deliver on his proposal to replicate it.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/pol...mas-help/2968/

[Assasin]

while it needs some resources, we need better community leadership. Ms. Mcdonald (Sis Liz) can tell you about the community that she grew up in. At one stage she had some family problem and my grandma moved her in so she could complete her studies. My Mom who she will tell you is her bigger sister helped her. It was a few houses away but she been very helpful to me and others. Always encouraging.

We may not be able to do all the testing but we must work with kids that are having problem. Many of the parenting skills are missing for our kids to succeed. In my community we have a lot of success in my generation. A friend said to me we were lucky, and I said no it was the community support that we had. The teachers and others really cared and gave us a lot. This need to be replicated.

There was a generation of Jamaicans who didn't have much but who had pride and quest for knowledge for their children even when some of them themselves couldn't read properly. The gave it their all, and I am talking from the 50s to 80s. Now we have more PHD, MBA, and other advance degrees yet our communites are in such disarray.

Sad mi brethren. Thanks for the read on that Harlem Children Zone.

[Hortical]

As yuh know all dem PhDs & MBAs wha dem have, dem caan develop practical solutions fi help the people, and anyway, that is not their mission.

[Islandman]

Yes it's the community that makes the difference. But think about it, how many of us live in or even contribute to the communities we grew up in? It's a difficult problem to solve.

[Assasin]

yeah that is a big part of the problem. I often talk to some of my friends in the places like Kingston, Portmore, Ochi etc. and when I ask when have you been home, they will reply "with in a while". Many of these people are making a difference in their lives and others but just to pass through and make the youths know they have opportunities, they don't. Sad because many of who live in the Us only get a few weeks off and can't spend extended time. It is also hard to organize and contributes in small portion because of the organization within these communities.

So nuff of the youths in the community now see them(us) as elitists not knowing we have been through what they have been through. We need to reconnect and community leaders have to be at the heart of the rivival.