New Building co-operative project

In 1999, community leaders in New Building, a village very close to the Alpart plant in Nain, St Elizabeth, asked the bauxite-alumina company to assist them in the establishment of an agro-industrial enterprise to create continuous and meaningful employment, especially for the youth of the community.

A bammy factory was identified as the ideal project, as cassava was one of the main crops cultivated in and around New Building. Alpart donated land, a building and equipment to the project. Help also came from the Social Development Commission and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. With supplies from the cassava farmers in the area and farther afield, the initial products of the enterprise of various sizes of St Bess bammies found their way into supermarkets all over Jamaica.

Hiccups

There were hiccups when hurricanes devastated the cassava crop but the enterprise always rebounded. There was also a second stream of income through the community's assistance to Alpart in the procurement of labour. The current international financial meltdown, especially its impact on Alpart as an alumina producer, has had disastrous consequences for the co-operative. The board and management of the co-operative have diversified over the past couple of years and now produce, in addition to bammies, a line of pastry including St Bess bullas, buns and bread.

Flanker Community Development Centre

The Flanker Citizens' Association was formed in 1976 as a confederation of groups and individuals who had been previously engaged in various community initiatives and projects.

The multifaceted centre has a homework club for primary-level students, GSAT classes, remedial classes from kindergarten to grade nine, and CXC classes in mathematics, English language and principles of business. It also offers computer studies, HEART/NTA-TVET Level 1 instruction, and hospitality skills-training that has resulted in gainful employment for scores of youths.

The centre does job searches for its beneficiaries and conducts training in conflict and anger management, healthy lifestyles, sexual and reproductive health.

Most of the centre's programmes are geared towards youth development, including football at several levels, netball and basketball. Participants in a youth crime watch programme interface with the police and also produce a monthly newsletter, Flanker Digest. They are responsible for community archiving and for organising quiz and debating competitions.

A unique feature of the centre is a youth-at-risk programme, whereby delinquent students in educational institutions in the area are suspended into the custody of the centre for rehabilitation.