Child resiliency programme transforms students, strengthens families in downtown Kingston

Project STAR has launched a Cash for Care & Work Initiative, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support families, restore livelihoods and help affected communities stabilise in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

A group of emerging community leaders from across Jamaica is gearing up to guide young people toward safer, more supportive futures through a newly launched mentorship programme implemented by Project STAR in collaboration with community leaders. The programme, designed to foster safer community spaces, reduce harmful gender norms, and lay the groundwork for long-term social renewal, commenced recently with a two-day training workshop for select mentors from Rose Town and Parade Gardens in Kingston, May Pen in Clarendon, and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland.

“Since Project STAR came to Parade Gardens, we’ve seen less crime, more people finding jobs, and children playing outside without fear. Parade Gardens has changed for the better,” said Patricia Durrant-Young, community leader and founder of the Inner City Youth Task Force & Job Force Limited and the Parade Gardens Parenting Club.