PEER COUNSELLING ASSOCIATION OF JAMAICA
PROFILE
The Peer Counselling Association of Jamaica (PCAJ) was established in 1990, under the umbrella of the Kingston and St. Andrew Family Life Planning Project, funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The Association has continued on its own since the dissolution of the Family Life Family Planning Project in 1997.
PCAJ is a registered grassroots organisation whose mandate is to improve the quality of Jamaican life through the targeting of Jamaican youth, specifically in the areas of self esteem, self expression and empowerment. The Peer Counselling Association of Jamaica encourages and works towards creating positive personal development among and within youth, thereby, influencing and molding the social development of Jamaica's communities.
The Peer Counselling Association's mandate is consistent with the Government of Jamaica's Social Agenda and its top priority to eradicate poverty through community empowerment and development. Jamaica ‘s National Poverty Eradication Programme targets unemployed youth and families with children. Bilateral and multilateral programmes have recognized Jamaica's need in this area and are participating with the Government and its people in their efforts.
There is a growing knowledge and concern within the Jamaican government and civil society regarding the level of violence to which Jamaican youths are exposed and into which these youths are drawn to participate. Among the chief factors contributing to the level of violence in Jamaican communities are poverty and its accompanying social ills, drug abuse and drug dealing, physical and sexual abuse, violence in its various forms including gang violence and domestic violence, crime, unemployment, lack of education, poor health practices, and inner city stagnation. PCAJ's programmes take into consideration these diverse yet related factors. They aim to educate youth in these areas, provide them with opportunities outside of these areas, and empower them to make choices that are cognizant of the personal and social problems emanating from these conditions. The Association recognizes the role that gender plays in these issues, and thereby ensures that its programmes reflect an understanding of and commitment to address these issues from gender perspective .
PCAJ utilizes a community out reach approach. Members of the Association engage in public speaking, media presentations, dialogs with the schools and churches and participate in community events. In addition, the Association maintains a web site. The Association has noted a marked increase in youth access to its web site and in the number of direct telephone calls to the Association from youths following presentations or programmes involve the organisation.
In its direct work with youths, the PCAJ's programmes utilize a variety of activities, including drama, music, art, games, and individual and group discussions. These avenues help build self esteem and empowerment and provide youths with the knowledge necessary to make healthy and positive decisions in their daily lives.
Health education is a primary focus in the Association's programmes. Basic life skills pertaining to daily hygiene and good health and positive thinking is encouraged. Issues relating to sexuality are discussed and are considered to be of the most utmost importance in working with youths. The persistence of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, requires that young persons be educated and empowered in the area of their sexuality and reproductive health.
PCAJ aims to assist in education, development and empowerment of parents who can responsibly engage in appropriate and healthy child rearing practices. As a result the Association provides programmes for adults involving topics relative to parents education including developmental education and child rearing techniques.
The Association's programmes are often presented in conjunction with and /or sponsored by other social service agencies within Jamaica. The Association hosted a four (4) day Christmas Camp for youths in December 1999 sponsored by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. In this instance, the Association invited Addiction Alert Adolescent Facilitators to participate in the programme.
The PCAJ acknowledges and accepts its responsibilities to maintain individual and group knowledge and expertise in the areas in which it interacts with youths, adults, and communities. Association members conscientiously strive to remain abreast of the most recent information and practices. They have participated in numerous committees that have evaluated and planned for further actions in the efforts to eradicate poverty in Jamaica. These have include the UNFPA Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health programme, UNICEF's Social Policy and Planning for Women and Children Committee and the Government of Jamaica's national programmes.
PCAJ has been extremely successful in establishing it self from a grassroots level, primarily due to the voluntary contributions and unending dedication of its members to the Association's missions. The Association continues to plan activities and programmes and to increase its visibility and impact in the community, both directly and within the social service provider communities. However, the Association's minimal financial resources have impeded its ability to reach its full potential.
Presently, the Association desires to expand its services to rural communities, as there is an urgent need that has been expressed by many youths in these areas who indicate a need and desire for such programmes. Furthermore, the Association recognises the role that adults play, whether as parents, relatives, or mentors, in youths' lives and in their decisions and practices. The Association recognises the necessity to expand its interactions with adults and communities and to provide programmes that will assist adults and communities in creating the home and community base that will lead to better circumstances and a more hopeful and productive future for Jamaica's youth.
The activities of the PCAJ are managed under the structure outlined,
Executive Director
Secretary
P.R. Officer
Accountant
Marketing Officer
Peer Counsellors
Parenting Facilitators
and offers training to young people to be peer educators whose main objective is to counsel and impart knowledge to their peers on various topics including but not limited to:
Reproductive Health - HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Male and Female Reproductive Organs, Conception and Contraceptives, Human Sexuality, Puberty/Adolescent, Menstruation
Family Life Education - Parenting Education, Teenage Pregnancy, Child Abuse
Crime and Violence - Conflict Resolution, Domestic Violence
Leadership Skills - Morals and Values, Self Esteem
Communication - Communication Skills (the effectiveness of communication), Public Speaking
Drug Abuse -Dangers of Drugs
Environmental Issues - Personal Hygiene
The PCAJ tries to maintain a one to one male/female ratio of counsellors as we have found that
persons needing counselling tend to relate better with counsellors of their own gender.
We also endeavour to include the disabled community in our activities and to date have in the
organization a paraplegic who is a trained peer counsellor.
INTRODUCTION TO PARENTING COMPONENT (IMPROVING THE ABILITY OF PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS/GUARDIANS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN)
The role of parents in the upbringing of their children is crucial. The health care needs of a child are inextricably linked to the social care needs of the family. Behaviourial patterns of the parents are likely to be copied by the child (smoking and drinking habits are obvious examples). The absence of fathers, the effects of marital breakdowns of the parents, neglects and abuse all have major effects on the child.
Despite the obvious importance of men in families, who must be included in the picture if the mid decade and year 2000 goals are to be most effectively met in sustainable ways, we have relatively little information about the roles that men as household members and fathers play, and the effects of these roles on children and women. Research on family well-being tends to focus on the links between mothers and children. Even UNICEF's situation analyses have tended not to include information on the role of men, though the inclusion of such information may improve health outcomes for children. Thus, little is known about men's knowledge or attitudes towards child survival interventions, about care of the sick child, schooling, food distribution within the household or dietary management.
The child has a right to live with his or her parents unless this is deemed to be incompatible with the child's best interests. The child also has the right to maintain contact with both parents if separated from one or both.
The steep rise in single-parent families began in the 1970s, and long-term studies are beginning to reveal the consequences. The most obvious result is a rise in mothers and children living in poverty. Comparison with the US shows that, a child living in a single-mother family is five times as likely to live below the national poverty line.
When both economic and parenting responsibilities fall on only one pair of shoulders, the strain begins to show up in the statistics. Although many children are happier and better cared for in single-parent families than in miserable marriages, separation and divorce are nonetheless associated with poorer school performance, greater risk of teen pregnancy, higher rates of delinquency, and a worsening of the mental health of both mothers and children.
For further information please contact Mr. Ricardo Bennett Executive Director,
Tele(876)928-9111.
Fax(876)930-5465
ADDRESS: 2c Halsey Avenue, Kingston 3, Jamaica
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