MONTEGO BAY, St. James (August 14, 2017): The St. James Municipal Corporation, on Monday, Aungust 14, 2017, hosted an orientation exercise for 120 Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) participants at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre.
The orientation session, moderated by Community Programmes Coordinator at the Municipal Corporation, Nagra Plunkett Nugent was organized in an effort to sensitize, train and familiarize participants with the programme’s guidelines.
Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, encourages YSEP participants to make the most of the experience, as Director of Administration (Acting), Keisha Lewis (centre) and Community Programmes Coordinator, Nagra Plunkett Nugent (at podium) look on.
In delivering the opening remarks, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis said the YSEP is a positive programme for both youth and local authorities, as he believes that amongst other important expectations, the Municipal Corporation will receive much needed assistance in improving each parish’s streetlight programme.
“There are over 100,000 streetlights across the country, and you find a very large percentage within urban centres, which are paid for by the Local Authorities. Against this reality, it is imperative that we develop system to determine and confirm the condition of lights in the parish to put the Corporation I a better position to monitor and to conserve,” suggested Mayor Davis.
According to Mayor Davis, at the end of the YSEP, it is expected that the parish should posses an improved streetlight and emergency social assistance programme, a strong database of streetlight, street name signs and an enhanced database of vulnerable persons.
Director of Administration (Acting), Keisha Lewis, informs participants of the Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) of the guidelines of the programme, and the expectations of the Municipal Corporation.
In addition to Director of Administration (Acting) at the Municipal Corporation, Keisha Lewis, Councillors Dwight Crawford, Arthur Lynch, Gregory Wint and Joshua Cummings, were also present at the orientation session.
The YSEP is an initiative of the Minister of Local Government and Community Development, the Honourable Desmond McKenzie. The programme, launched on Thursday, August 10, by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, seeks to empower youth within their own geographic locale within communities across the 14 parishes of Jamaica.
The programme, which is expected employ a total of 170 youth across St. James, is also aimed at improving the skill-set and knowledge of YSEP participants, who are mainly youths between the ages of 15 to 29.