Project STAR organises parenting workshop at Calabar Infant and Primary School

RESIDENTS of May Pen, Clarendon, who are plagued by high levels of crime and violence, unemployment, and inadequate infrastructure, are hoping to turn their community around with assistance from Project Star. Sharise Staines-Appleby, community services manager at Project Star, said that work started in May Pen in June with walk-throughs, engagement of residents, and the facilitation of meetings with stakeholders. "We have met with community members to get a directive on what they would like us to focus on; preliminary feedback highlighted high levels of crime and violence, unemployment, poor and inadequate infrastructure are the priority areas for intervention," she said.

Over the past three years the community of Rose Gardens, a community in Central Kingston, has been rocked by violence with many residents in fear of their lives as they do their day-to-day business. But today, residents are hopeful that there is a change on the horizon as Project STAR, a social and economic transformation initiative created by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) works with the community. Juliet Blackwood, a member of the Community Transformation Board in Rose Gardens is one such resident who believes that things will improve. “We have seen a positive impact in the programmes that have been implemented through Project STAR,” she said. These programmes include community sporting activities, an employment training and placement programme and a school feeding programme targeting four early childhood institutions.