JDTAN 2022 Review by RachelJoyDesigns

2022

ANNUAL REVIEW

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

ORGANIZATION

JDTAN

TASKFORCE

CELEBRATION

5 WITH GRATITUDE 6 2022

OVERVIEW 7

LEADERSHIP TEAM 14

REPORTS 24 JAMAICA 60

HIGHLIGHTS 34 GET CONNECTED: DIASPORA ORGANIZATIONS

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN

JDTAN has done it again! The network has completed another successful year of delivering vital interventions to build capacity in various sectors in Jamaica.

workshops, presentations, and panel discussions.

As we enter a new phase in our lives, post-pandemic, we must correct, adjust, immerse, innovate, and demand more of ourselves, our organizations, and our colleagues to be prepared for the unknown. JDTAN is doing just that.

I am proud of the men and women who continue to grow and serve our nations from afar, collaborating with stakeholders, beneficiaries, and organizations to find gaps and develop strategies for national development It's been my pleasure to meet with and serve with them as they design and deliver needy interventions to support professional and capacity development and open doors for new beginnings.

This year, 2022, with limited access, the members of JDTAN were still able to deliver face-to-face events to restore the success of pre-pandemic.

In March, the return of the education Summit was a huge success entertaining more than 90 educators each day for five days in New York at the Marymount Manhattan College. The event was hosted by the Union of Jamaican Alumni Association (UJAA) led by then President Lesleyann Samuels and Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) Dean Michael Salmon. The key collaboration between the five education task forces, teams, and members significantly contributed to content development and delivery

Our nine-year partnership with the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) with Mr. Winston Smith as President continued at the March Summit The teachers are happy about this relationship as they queue each year to take advantage of school tours,

The second face-to-face event in 2022 was our first Advancement In Health Summit held in Toronto, Canada, at George Brown College. Health professionals from Jamaica, the USA, and Canada were in attendance.

We are thankful for the support of our other sponsors Black Creek Clinic and Humber college, who made this pivotal event a significant one Dr Beverly Fray and Dr. Sylvanus Thompson were the engines that drove this very successful effort. Thanks to our host, George Brown College, the President and members of staff, partners, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and the Nurses Association of Jamaica, all the essential areas and content were skillfully delivered.

The delivery of online content through Jaminars, panel discussions, and presentation were significant deliverables that continued before and during the Pandemic by the various task forces They each conducted planned exercises and executed and were guided by critical needs assessment initiatives. The technology and entrepreneurship task force successfully delivered a key startup initiative sponsored by Google Inc and with a partner, the University of Technology

Likewise, the Jamaica Diaspora World Organizations network planned and delivered its second-degree of JamTalk, where the Chairperson and other members interviewed key individuals around the Diaspora and Jamaica The task force also continued its engagement in non-profit workshops delivering important information about starting and operating 501C3 organizations.

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LEO GILLING DIASPORA STRATEGIST & ENGAGEMENT ADVOCATE CHAIRMAN OF JDTAN

THE CHAIRMAN

A significant part of the JDTAN mission is to partner for success Jdtan collaborated with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) for the third year in delivering 120 critical early childhood education workshops to more than 7000 practitioners over five days The workshop was virtually executed in May 2022. The workshops covered key components of classroom management, social-emotional learning, educational leadership, and other very essential subject areas that a key to helping the startup development of our young citizens.

Another significant event of 2022 was the strategic mission by members of JDTAN on their visit to Jamaica. A key component of delivering initiatives to our island is to build relationships and understand our partners, sponsors, and beneficiaries. With those in place, collaborations and finding gaps are seamless, and executing interventions is efficient and more effective Members of JDTAN planned and visited Jamaica to meet our stakeholders, to understand their work and their tasks and engage them where they are

JDTAN is a network of more than 2500 experts and professional Jamaicans across 47 countries with more than 15 sectoral task forces The network prides itself in identifying gaps and challenges and delivering content in a train-the-trainer environment ensuring capacity development in areas where Jamaica needs it most. Needs assessments drive our interventions to meet national and sustainable development goals.

It is with this in mind that, as Chairman of the network, I thank all the people who made all the activities possible; chairperson,s vice chairs, liaisons, and registered members. We would be nowhere without our initial and ongoing conversations. We welcome you to join us and be a part of the sharing and giving of love, the heart, and the mind.

LeoGilling

LEO GILLING

DIASPORA STRATEGIST & ENGAGEMENT ADVOCATE

CHAIRMAN OF JDTAN

A WORD FROM

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I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.

Mother Teresa

WITH GRATITUDE

We express our heartfelt gratitude to our 2023 partners and their support of our mission & Jamaica's Vision 2030.

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2022 OVERVIEW

JDTANismadeup of11Taskforces across15sectors.

Taskforces have been operating for the past nine years as a collaborative approach to engage, and mobilize the Jamaican Diaspora to join forces and support Jamaica in achieving Jamaica Vision 2030 and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.)

JDTAN's commitment to partnering with organizations and government agencies across the diaspora and in Jamaica is one of the core values to the work we are doing. In 2022, we partnered with 20+ organizations and government agencies to move Jamaica forward.

GROWING LEADERS

Our Taskforces cover 15 sectors and are volunteer led by some of the brightest, accomplished and driven leaders in the diaspora We are committed to supporting the growth of our taskforce leaders by offering opportunities that allow them to grow their skills while mentoring new leaders

TEACHING NEW SKILLS

Our Jaminars (online webinars and workshops) offer professional development for teachers, nurses, Nonprofit leaders and leaders in every taskforce sector. In 2021, we offered over 35 Jaminars

REACHING THE DIASPORA

Although the work we do is focused on helping Jamaicans on the island, our network consists of over 2,500+ active members and 500,000 viewers of JDTAN online content from 47 countries across the globe.

BUILDING PARTNE

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Leadership TeamJDTAN

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

ANDREA THOMAS ANGELA BEESON ANGELA WRIGHT, PHD, RN ANTONETTE BROWN DR. ASNETH COUNCIL BEVERLY FRAY, PHD, APRN Joint Education Vice-Chair, Community Development JDHTF Sub-Committee Chair Co-Chair, Tech & Entrepreneurship Co-Chair, JDETF Early Childhood Chair, JDHTF

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

BRIDGETTE JOHNSON, PHD, APRN CHRIS WILLIAMS DR. CLAUDETTE PETERKIN ERROL ROBERTS JOVAN MILLER KARLENE TOMLINSON, MS JDHTF SubCommittee Chair Chair, Community Development Joint Education Tech & Entrepreneurship Tech & Entrepreneurship JDHTF Sub-Committee Chair

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

LARKLAND MORLEY LEIGHTON LUGG MARCIA AMARSINGH, MSC, LADC-1 MELANIE WYNTER DR. NOEL GORDON DR. NORMA SINCLAIR Co-Chair, Tech & Entrepreneurship JDHTF Sub-Committee Chair Vice-Chair, JDHTF Tech & Entrepreneurship, Chair, Primary & Secondary Co-Chair, JDETF Tertiary

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

PAUL LYONS RACHEL DOLCINE SHAWN MILLER SHERIAN DEMETRIUS, PHD DR. SHERIKA, DACRES SYLVANUS THOMPSON, PHD Chair, Agriculture & Climate Chair, JDWOT Vice-Chair, JDWOT Co-Chair, JDETF Early Childhood Chair, JDETF Tertiary JDHTF Sub-Committee Chair

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

VIVIENNE FORRESTER, PHD, CETL DALE BRITTON DR. DAHLIA BLAKE, MD, MBA DR. COLLIN WOLFE DR. VIVIENE KERR ROYMANE ROBINSON Vice-Chair, Educational Leadership Vice-Chair, Primary & Secondary Vice-Chair, JDHTF Vice-Chair, Primary & Secondary Jamaica Liaison, JDHTF Jamaica Liaison, ECC

JDTAN LEADERSHIP TEAM

Your gifts, leadership, purpose none of it is about you. Instead, a life of significance is about serving others. It’s about guiding those who need your talents those gifts, that leadership, and purpose.

– Inspired by Kevin Hall

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SOPHIA ANDERSON-THOMPSON CELESTE HUTCHINSON, MA, LPC ANN MOODIE Jamaica Liaison, Primary & Secondary JDHT Sub-Committee Vice Chair JDHTF Sub-Committee Vice Chair PETAGAYE PHILPOT Vice-Chair, JDTAN Operations

TASKFORCE

Reports

AGRICULTURE & CLIMATE

'Women in Agriculture' was the highlight of the year, we featured women who are making a difference in the field of agriculture. This was done during Women's month.

In October, meetings were held with JAMPRO, Jamaica 4H and United Agriculturalist and Farmers Association of Jamaica (UAFAJ).

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Community Development Taskforce after multiple meetings with stakeholders identified several needs that can facilitate the achievement of national goals as outlined in Jamaica Vision 2030. Our key partners in Jamaica; the Ministry of National Security (MNS) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) played a tremendous role in directing our team to national projects. One such project involved working closely with the MNS We Transform Initiative- a rehabilitation program for at risk youths enrolled in juvenile correction facilities. We also made a step towards working with primary church groups to provide support to local communities. We will continue to work closely with our partners in 2023 to play a role in community development in Jamaica.

In February 2022, our taskforce hosted Let’s Talk, the first in a series of public discussions on Jamaica’s Community Development Strate i Plan with representatives of PIOJ and MNS. Discussions highligh challenges impacting the crime prevention mechanism, overarching roles of the citizen security secretariat, the MNS national security and safety and the role non-for-profit organizati including the Church play in community development.

The taskforce identified the following areas in which JDTAN co leverage its resources: • assisting the church to become m organized to play a pivotal role in the communities • work with MNS on its We Transform Mentorship program- focus on at risk youth enrolled in the juvenile prisons with mentorship being an integral link in the rehabilitation process. • MNS also advised of plans to develop a community based mental health resource group constituted f individuals living within a community. The JDTAN Mental H Taskforce was brought on board and has successfully pro Psychological First Aid training and certification for 30+ me working with the We Transform program. Other partners are curr working to provide the youths with toiletries.

During 2023, The Community Development Taskforce will contin work with our partners in Jamaica to identify areas of need that c satisfied through our organization and its partners.

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HEALTH

The Jamaica Diaspora Health Taskforce (JDHTF) had a succe g changed leadership in March. The JDHTF's signature event was t , August 27-30, under the auspices of the deanship at George Brow underway to forge and sustain long term, symbiotic nursing and other allied health connections between GBC and our Jamaican partners.

Additionally, the JDHTF sponsored over 10 Jaminars on topics such as quality improvement for nurses at Cornwall Regional Hospital, mental health, COVID-19, breast cancer, diet and non-communicable diseases, stroke, and heart disease.

Meetings with the Minister of Health & Wellness of Jamaica, Dr. Tufton; the Chief Nurse, Mrs.Patricia Ingram-Martin; and the NAJ President, Mrs. Patsy Edwards-Henry and JDHTF cemented former bonds with JDHTF and JDTAN. JDHTF forged and strengthened new relationships with the Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica, the Medical Association of Jamaica, and the Sickle Cell Foundation of Jamaica.

We also donated basic life support equipment and books to the Bustamante Children's Hospital in Jamaica with the assistance of the Jamaica Nurses Association of Florida (JNAF) and the Chief Nurse of Jamaica. We look forward to another successful year in 2023.

JDETF- EARLY CHILDHOOD

The taskforce seeks to widen and promote the understanding that early childhood education is foundational and is a holistic human experience that is integral to the advancement of every institution in the Jamaican society. Therefore, everyone must become involved so that equity in education is promoted and supported.

During the 2022 academic year, the taskforce developed a better understanding of the Early Childhood Sector in Jamaica through collaboration with the Early Childhood Commission and other stakeholders. The following goals were achieved:

• Joint Taskforce collaborative initiatives

• Conducted stakeholders’ survey and interviews among the Jamaican early childhood teacher leaders and administrators

• Hosted panel discussions geared toward developing reflective practices and capacity building

• Developed and implemented workshops and or webinars on various topics relating to the early childhood sector

• Led professional development sessions during the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JDETF) Annual Summer Conference and during the 7th Annual Advancement in Education Summit

• Participated in the Early Childhood Commission’s Annual Professional Development Institute

• Created two E-publications for the early childhood sector As promised, the Early Childhood

Education Task Force impacted the lives of the Jamaican education system and individual students from all socioeconomic backgrounds creating change that is being felt across the wider Jamaican society.

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The Primary and Secondary Education Task Force, in conjunction with the four other Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Forces (JDETF), collaborated with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and facilitated a plethora of professional development initiatives

A needs assessment survey was conducted with the Jamaican educators. This was followed by a virtual engagement where the JDETF leadership team was introduced to the Jamaican contingent of educators, followed by a robust discussion surrounding the current educational needs in Jamaica. These activities served as a roadmap for the development of relevant professional development for the Jamaican educators.

The Primary and Secondary Taskforce co-facilitated virtual professional development jaminars/workshops, in February, April, and May of 2022. We also jointly planned and executed the JDETF 7th Annual Advancement in Education Summit. The summit was hosted by Marymount Manhattan College, in conjunction with the Jamaica Teacher Association, and the Union of Jamaica Alumni Associations.

The Second Annual Virtual Summer Conference was held August of 2022. This two-day virtual conference was a collaborative activity involving several Jamaican educational leaders as presenters The planning for this program was a joint effort involving the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, the Early Childhood Commission Council of Community College of Jamaica, Marymount Manhattan College, Catholic College of Mandeville, The Mico University College, and Union of Jamaica Alumni Associations.

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JDETF- PRIMARY & SECONDARY

JDETF- JOINT EDUCATION

It is often said that there is strength in numbers. Building on this principle, the education task forces; Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary, Special Education, Leadership, and Tertiary joined forces to design and implement the following programs over the past year:

• Fact finding discussions with Jamaican educators- This activity provided an insight into the strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement for the Jamaican educators post pandemic Utilizing the information garnered from the fact-finding discussion and the results from the stakeholders’ survey the goals and objectives for the 2022 academic year were established.

• Professional Development workshops/JAMINARS were held throughout the year to build the capacity of both the Jamaican teacher leaders and administrators

• Education Summit-The 7th Advancement in Education Sum under the theme Meeting the Challenges of Education Today, held at Marymount College in New York. This in person educa summer had participants from Jamaica, Bermuda, and diaspora.

• Virtual Summer Conference-The second Annual Sum Conference was held August 8-9, 2022, with a focus of continuing the mission of advancing education in achieving Jamaica’s Vision 2030. Under the theme, Pushing Forward with Resilience, Inclusion, Capacity, Equity (R.I.C.E). This two-day conference benefited all educators in Jamaica and provided the opportunity for collaboration with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, the Early Childhood Commission Council of Community College of Jamaica, Marymount Manhattan College, Catholic College of Mandeville, The Mico University College, and Union of Jamaica Alumni Associations in the development and implementation of the twoday workshop.

As a team, we were able to harness our superpowers to supports all educators to thrive, connect, and unite thus helping to create an empowered team of Jamaican educators.

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JDETF- TERTIARY

In 2022, under the guiding theme, “Developi Growth Mindset to Positively Impact Educatio taskforce leaders along with input from stakeholde committed to and carried out several initiatives f the year. These initiatives include:

• Providing consultants and keynote speakers

• Professional Learning opportunities & JAMINARS

• Mini credentialing/certifications (in process)

• Program and curriculum development support (in process)

• Joint Taskforce collaborative initiatives

• Conducted stakeholders’ survey and interviews among the Jamaican tertiary leaders and administrators

• Hosted panel discussions geared toward developing reflective practices and capacity building

• Collaborated to develop and implement workshops and or webinars on various topics relating to the tertiary sector

• Collaborated with other education sectors to development professional sessions during the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JDETF) Annual Summer Conference and during the 7th Annual Advancement in Education Summit

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TECHNOLOGY & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

During the 2022 prog & Entrepreneurship Taskforce accomplished the following:

1. Partnership MOU between Santa Clara University and Standup for Jamaica to deliver Entrepreneurship training to prisons - Up to 2000 inmates will benefit.

2. The Google Developer Student Club at Utech successfully entered the Google Solution challenge for 2022 - The application submitted focused on improving security for female taxi riders in Jamaica

3 At the Diaspora 60 conference in Jamaica, we discussed our support to help teachers with digital education tools such as Google Classroom and basic computing skills - We trained over 2000 teachers. And how to leverage informatics in the healthcare sector. Larkland and Antonette participated in the conference

4. Partnering with the JTDA, we delivered several Jaminars on topics such as Blockchain, Business Certifications, Infrastructure Automation, Metaverse and Google Machine Learning - An average of 50 participants per session

5. JDTAN facilitated Google for Startups holding a successful one week workshop in August working with partners such as Utech, DBJ and Techbeach - 40+ entrepreneurs participated and will get follow up mentoring.

6. Continued discussions around providing affordable connectivity to all Jamaicans, collaborating with Digicel, Office of the Prime Minister and Google/Taara. We also participated in a Universal Services Fund (USF) connectivity panel and presented at the UTech/IEEE conference on 5G Strategies.

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WORLDWIDE ORGANIZATIONS

This year was a challenging year for JDWOT and we were not as active as last year. Nonetheless, we were able to provide support to organizations in the diaspora in the following ways:

JamTalk interviews highlighting Jamaican dogooders doing their part to serve Jamaicans at home and abroad;

A 4-part Grantwriting Jaminar series to equip organizations with tools and knowledge to successfully identify, write and get awarded grants;

Grant Alerts listing available grants and funding opportunities;

Women's History Month program celebrating the superpowers of four fantastic women in the diaspora;

Provided a space for diaspora organizations to share highlights, successes, events and needs;

Launched a partnership with Technology & Entrpreneruship Taskforce to create a searchable funding datatbase so organizations.

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JAMAICA 60 EVENTS Highlights

In 2022, our JDTAN taskforces, members & organizations participated in a variety of conferences, celebrations & community projects to mark Jamaica's 60th year of independence.