The response from readers to the poignancy and simplicity of the 'Christmas wishes' of some inner-city young people whose interviews were published by The Gleaner earlier this week has been overwhelming.

From near and far, Jamaicans at home and overseas have written in, indicating their desire to help. Most of the respondents want especially to help Kiwan Foster, the 15-year-old student of the Holy Trinity High School who said he needed $6,000 for school fees. Further checks with the school have indicated that his need is genuine, although there are avenues for help, which he or his family seemed not to have tapped to reduce the urgency of his plight.

The article and response have thrown into sharp focus two issues which are flip sides of the same coin. On the one hand, there is an underbelly of privation abroad in the land that is often bypassed by the majority of us in our daily pursuit of the good life and our individualistic concerns. On the other hand, there is a spirit of philanthropy that needs to be channelled into good works without creating a dependency syndrome that stifles initiative.

Our society should be mindful of the gaps and interlinkages between groups of persons from different social strata. We ignore each other at our collective peril. Poverty need not, ipso facto, lead to a life of crime, but it does contribute significantly to its growth and spread.

At the same time, people who have worked long and hard and studied, and have thereby found the means to live well, need not be apologetic for what they are able to afford. Of course, there is PATH - the Programme for the Advancement of Health and Education - and the SSP - the Secondary Schools Assistance Programme. But these barely scratch the surface of needs in the society. Over many years, there have been calls for a social partnership with the aim of reducing the potential for communal conflict. Beyond the need to take steps to preserve individual gains and property, however, should be a recognition that the things that affect one set of people adversely, eventually have an impact on all of us. We made that very point yesterday in relation to the outbreak and spread of malaria.

Kiwan Foster's case, and those of the other young people highlighted in the article, suggest, too, that perhaps there is need to revisit the publicity programmes surrounding PATH and SSP, to determine whether target audiences are being reached, and whether the message is being understood.

In a society of a multiplicity of voices and messages, important information can easily be lost in the din. Parents must be challenged to attend Parent-Teacher Association meetings where questions can be raised and discussed. Individuals have a responsibility to themselves, and schools, through their guidance counsellors, can play an important role in getting the information out to those who need it most.

This pre-Christmas initiative is a timely pointer to the traditional season of giving and spreading good cheer. We hope it helps to strengthen the impetus of sharing that will go well beyond the season with more permanent resolve to rescue the needy.