Earth Today | St Ann students compete for a greener future
Published:Thursday | October 16, 2025 | 12:10 AM
MORE THAN 20 St Ann primary schools are facing off in the inaugural quiz competition of the Cause for Change Foundation, towards awareness raising about climate change and environmental preservation among young people.
“Improper garbage disposal and other environmental practices are a major issue in Brown’s Town, St Ann, and this new quiz aims to shape a generation of school children and community residents who view environmental preservation not as a remote concern, but as a way of life,” noted Richardo Aiken, principal director at the foundation.
“The quiz is also part of the culture of primary schools in St Ann. We wanted to bring that to environmental conservation, making it enjoyable and impactful … [and which] would create something scalable,” he added, in a release to the media on the subject.
The quiz competition, with its theme ‘Conserve, Preserve, Revive’, was designed and is being implemented by the foundation, in collaboration with a variety of local and international partners.
“We want the participants to see themselves as capable change agents who can make a real difference in protecting Jamaica’s natural beauty. Ultimately, we are contributing to the moulding of a generation that thinks sustainability first,” noted Andre Robb, programme lead at the VM Foundation, title sponsors for the quiz competition, which is to be punctuated by an expo to be held at the St Hilda’s Diocesean High School Auditorium on the final day.
Karlene Segree, director of education services for Region 3, agreed.
“It is a successful blueprint for integrating environmental and climate awareness into schools here in this Quality Education Circle and beyond,” she said.
Meanwhile, Aiken, who formed the foundation along with a group of friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, said there is no question of the “appetite for information” among children at this age.
“These young children are great animators and tellers of stories … absorptive of new ideas … They can easily start interactions within their families,” he said.
Aiken added his hope that the competition’s model “will see some level of transformation where schools across Jamaica start having a greater appreciation for environmental awareness, environmental protection and start incorporating that as a part of their regular programming”.
The champion school will walk away with $100,000, while second place will earn $50,000 and third and fourth place winners will earn $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. There are also a range of other prizes that are to be won by participating schools.