grantfundingOctober 2, 2024

Forty-seven high performing PEP students to be Celebrated by JN Foundation

Photo Caption: Claudine Allen, third right at the back, general manager of the JN Foundation, and Parris Lyew-Ayee, (second right, back row), chairman of the JN Foundation take a group photo with last year’s scholarship recipients of JN Group members of staff.

On Sunday, October 6, the JN Foundation will formally award 37 five-year scholarships, and 10 one-time grants to students who excelled in this year’s Grade 6 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exam, at its annual scholarship awards ceremony scheduled for the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

Claudine Allen, general manager at the JN Foundation, notes that the annual event recognises Jamaica’s brightest young minds and celebrates the achievements of new scholars, while emphasising The Jamaica National’s commitment to investing in Jamaica’s future through education and personal development.

“At The Jamaica National Group, we firmly believe that education is the foundation upon which great nations are built. The awards are a part of our wider investments in programmes that enrich the lives of our young people and builds communities nationally,” she said.

Of the 47, 37 will be five-year awards: 14 parish scholarships; three JN Bank Easi-Save County scholarships; and, 20 to children of JN Group staff members who will receive the Building Excellence and Achieving More Success (BEAMS) scholarships. The remaining 10 awards will be one-time grants and will be presented by JN Money Services Limited to high-performing students who did not receive full scholarships.

“The Foundation’s work is fueled by collaboration with entities within the JN Group. And we act on purpose to foster excellence both within and outside the organisation,” she added, noting that the Scholarship Programme provides capacity development opportunities that build the character of the awardees over the five-year period, and celebrates continued academic excellence through a Top of the Class awards to high performers, annually.

The incoming awardees join more than 150 other high school students who benefit annually from the JN Foundation Scholarship programme.

The newcomers will be celebrated and encouraged to thrive through the theme ‘Nourish Your Spark’, at this year’s awards reception.  Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr Kasan Troupe, is slated to be the guest speaker at the ceremony.  

Last year, the scholarship programme celebrated 40 years since its establishment. Over the years, The Jamaica National Group has provided financial support for other educational and youth development initiatives, such as the Gleaner’s Children’s Own Spelling Bee competition, child-month initiatives undertaken by the National Child Month Committee, and the Ministry of Education and Youth’s National Youth Month activities.

The JN Foundation has also invested millions in educational transformation initiatives, such as the Centres of Excellence and iLead programmes, both targeted at improving leadership in rural-based underperforming schools.

Since 2001, The JN Group has maintained a financial literacy programme, the JN School Savers Programme, at the basic, primary, and secondary levels to foster sound money management practices among children and, since 2013, launched the JN Wise Aspiring Youth Programme, JN WAY, which promotes financial literacy and personal development skills for tertiary students and young adults.

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Omar Wright, Lead, Environment & Community Development at the JN Foundation,
news, nhwcOctober 2, 2024

JN Foundation Launches Photo Advocacy and Visual Arts Competition to Promote Road Safety and Helmet Use

Photo Caption: Omar Wright, Lead, Environment and Community Development, JN Foundation

The JN Foundation has opened applications for its Motorcycle Helmet Safety Photo Advocacy and Visual Arts Competition, which aims to empower young Jamaicans to use photography and visual arts as tools for promoting safer road practices, with a focus on advocating for helmet use among motorcyclists and pedal cyclists.

Omar Wright, Lead, Environment and Community Development, JN Foundation, said the competition, builds on the original JN Resolution Project, retaining the core mission of that project to empower youth to use photography as a powerful medium for advocacy. It’s the second initiative by the Foundation to build on the Resolution Project, following last year’s Jamaica 60 Photo Advocacy Competition.

Winners of the Photo Advocacy and Visual Arts Competition will have the chance to win cash prizes valued at J$50,000 and J$150,000.

“This year, participants will be tasked with capturing images that highlight the importance of helmet use on Jamaica’s roads, advocating for safer practices, and raising awareness about road safety,” he explained.

He said the inclusion of visual arts in this year’s competition will challenge younger participants to create artistic helmet designs. This component aims to engage children, who are among the most vulnerable road users, by encouraging creative expressions around safety.

The competition will focus on training and equipping students from secondary, tertiary, vocational and skills training institutions across the island with the technical skills to capture images that inspire safer road usage. Secondary school participants will be organised into teams, although their individual submissions will be judged. Participants enrolled in schools at the tertiary level or who are enrolled in vocational or other skills training institution will participant as individuals. Workshops will provide students with training in photography techniques, advocacy, education on road safety, and their competition assignments.

All participants will be encouraged to submit their entries digitally. Mr Wright said the goal is to create a collection of 20 to 30 impactful images that can be used in exhibits, publications, and road safety campaigns.

Like the last initiative, a panel of assessors, including master photographers, Radcliffe ‘Ruddy’ Roye and Stuart Reeves and representatives from the National Helmet Wearing Coalition (NHWC) and the JN Foundation, will evaluate the submissions. The top entries will be selected through a preliminary review process, with winners announced at a special awards ceremony in January 2025.

For the visual art component, Mr Wright said students ages 8 to 12 will produce creative art designs for motorcycle helmets. Parents are invited to assist with the application process, but the artwork must be completed solely by the child. A separate panel, including representatives from the JN Foundation and NHWC, will judge the designs, with winners also recognised at the awards ceremony.

Through this initiative, Mr Wright informed that the JN foundation Photo-Advocacy Project hopes to empower 50 to 100 advocates, equipped with knowledge about Jamaican road users and the actions needed to reduce crashes and fatalities.

“By targeting younger audiences and encouraging the use of visual media, the project seeks to fuel road safety awareness across the country, particularly among those aged 16-29, who represent a significant portion of Jamaica’s road users who are dying from motorcycle fatalities,” he explained.

Applications are open to Jamaican nationals enrolled in secondary, tertiary, vocational and skills training institutions for the photo-advocacy component and primary and preparatory schools only for the visual arts competition. Persons can submit their application via the JN Foundation website at jnfoundation.com. The deadline for submissions to the photo-advocacy competition is October 10, 2024, and for the visual arts competition, October 15, 2024.

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