PM's wife to launch ambitious project
Published:Sunday | November 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Almost a month after her husband emerged as prime minister of Jamaica, Juliet Holness has identified what her major focus will be. Already a name has been chosen. When her project is launched early next year, the Save Our Boys Foundation will target street boys who hang out at traffic lights or who are idle in their communities across the nation's capital.
Speaking in her first interview with The Sunday Gleaner yesterday, Mrs Holness said she was led to that decision because she is the mother of two boys, and second, these marginalised youngsters need help.
"We are no longer the nation of parents we used to be, where everyone parented all children," she said.
"I would love to focus on boys because I am seeing a major decline in our young men," she added.
For persons who will say she is stigmatising the boys, Mrs Holness says she is instead looking at a way to offer them a better future. She will also look at schools to see where boys are performing below the required levels, determine their gaps in learning and get experts to design programmes tailored to their learning capabilities.
Mrs Holness said there have been attempts to help street boys in the past, so without forcing them off the streets, she will look at providing them a place they can come to. "My plan looks at the possibility of setting up some resource centres for them.
"Having worked in the construction sector, I think I can lobby the right persons to get some affordable solutions for the purpose," she said.
At the outset, she is not attempting full-scale housing for the boys, but will be looking at many ways to accomplish the task.
Set for an early 2012 launch, she said she will also be seeking funding to get her project off the ground.
Read next Sunday's Outlook for the full interview with Mrs Holness.