Today we pause to recognise two positive items of news that have been reported in recent days. The first concerns the graduation of 400 students from the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) after finally getting the skills training they so desperately needed to help them on their way to becoming productive members of society.

The other item is the initiative of the non-profit organisation NUFF Hope Limited, an offshoot of Swallowfield Chapel in Kingston, which has been offering free entrepreneurship seminars for members of the community. The organisation is taking this programme a notch higher by staging a bazaar in Kingston to showcase the products created by these participants.

The CSJP is laudable because it addresses a number of ills at one time: deprivation, lack of opportunity and poverty. This intervention is aimed at giving a second chance to youngsters who were left behind in the educational system.

It is difficult to predict the societal benefits which will be gained by such an investment, but the future economic well-being of Jamaica depends on an educated and skilled workforce. Hopefully, with their new training, these youngsters who are mainly drawn from inner-city communities will shun the lure of easy money via criminal activity.

Armed with their certification in areas such as welding, plumbing, food preparation and construction, these graduates will be eager to find work.

Realistically, some of their hopes may be dashed because this is the worst of economic times. So it is conceivable that many of them may want to start their own businesses.

Engaging business leaders

Householders will confirm that it is difficult to find competent, honest and reliable tradesmen these days. The demand is definitely there to be met. This is why the NUFF initiative is so important, for it seeks to engage leaders of the business community in a collaborative effort to impart knowledge to the youngsters, including the specifics of writing a business plan. They are also guided on how to source funding for their business.

The Swallowfield Chapel must be congratulated for its initiative and we recommend that the new recruits and others in search of a business start embrace these opportunities. We are aware that several other churches have created and are creating avenues for persons to achieve a sense of self and purpose. However, more needs to be done to throw the window of opportunity open to scores of aimless youngsters seen idling on the streets daily. This is the way in which we are going to close the enormous gap in economic opportunity and quality of life that is evident between people in the inner city and the middle class.

The clear message from these initiatives is that the war against poverty will not be won with bullets and knives. The escape from poverty can only come about the old-fashioned way: via dint of hard work and dedication. Without education, not much can be achieved in life.

Resilience is a characteristic of Jamaicans. And we use this to explain how generations of Jamaicans have overcome various upheavals, including social, economic and political upheavals. In the current atmosphere when we seem so short on solutions, we must see these initiatives as catalysts to achieving the much-sought-after achievement which has eluded so many of our people.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.