YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE Volume 2, Issue 2
February 2013
BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL
Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society
HONOURING THE PAST …. …. INSPIRING FUTURE
Visit our website @ http://yaadiculturefimistyleja.webs.com and our Online Magazine; yaadiculturefimistylejam1
YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
Table of
Contents Features 3 4
“FROM A BIRD’S VIEW” Deidre Douglas
Ole time people did say Georgette McGlashen
5 11 18
Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society
Doctaz Advice Thoughts from an educated mind
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YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
“From a Bird’s view “ A New Dawn for Local Youths, or is it?
Deidre D. Douglas
A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. St. Luke 12:15 We are the creators of our own destinies, or so I once heard. And I think it was Plato who said knowledge is innate, it exist pre and post, thus it is really an individual responsibility to tap into our mental framework and access that we which to wish explore. But how many of us can accept this when we are the ones struggling to make ends meet, to pay bills on time and to avoid repossessions and or evictions on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? It is 2013 birdwatchers, and some say that “13” isn’t as unlucky as some superstitious would have us believe. 13 is the new
number of
beginnings, so this is the green light to go out on a limb, spread your wings
and fly away, my nestlings. The limits you have set better be high, because everybody needs to be going hard this year. Education is the first order on the menu. “Labour for learning before you grow old, for learning is better than silver and gold. Silver and gold will vanish away, but a good education will never decay”. A gem many learnt in basic or Pre-School. Rev. Thwaites, our present Minister of Education hinted it also in a speech he made very soon after taking up office where he said, “Let’s do it right, from the beginning”, referring to investing in Early Childhood Education. The seeds planted, better be good seeds, because the early stage of a child’s life is when the most lasting impressions are made. Behaviours are developed and values are zeroed in on just by what happens in and around these children’s immediate environments. Here are some questions for Generation Y: Even with the limited resources, can more be done? Are the relevant aspects being focused on? What are the sacrifices that one or all are willing to make for lasting positive change in this society?
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YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE Ole Time People did say…by Georgette McGlashen
The Power Of The Jamaican Proverb One of the ways in which you can distinguish yourself as a bona fide Jamaican, or at least a real yaadi, or even someone who at least has some solid Jamaican connections, is by the casual integration of Jamaican proverbs in your regular speech. It gives the user a certain amount of linguistic and cultural power, especially if the person for whom it is intended has no clue of the meaning, or just has an inkling that they are being talked about, without fully understanding what is being said. Trust mi... dat sweet. So test yourself and see how many Jamaican proverbs you remember. of course there are as many variations of the proverbs themselves as there are proverbs, so you might find a version and your Jamaican friend will want to tell you that "A no so it go".
1
A no every kin teet a laugh :This is advice to be mindful of persons who on the surface seem as if they are in your corner, happy with and for you, when in fact they could be stabbing you in the back, and generally working against you.
2
A no fi want a tongue meck cow no talk : The reasons for certain actions are not always immediately obvious, or seemingly logical. Very often used when one has more information about a situation, than is prudent to disclose. A cow, like human beings, has a tongue. That is therefore not the reason the cow does not talk. There is more to it that meets the eye, or than seems logical or obvious
3 A noh every chain yuh hear a rolling calf : Things are not always as they seem, and so it is unfair to make generalizations based on knowledge of an individual, group of persons or situations. Two things, persons or situations that have the same outward appearance, may in fact be very different.
Facts you should know: Jamaica was the first country to impose economic sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa in 1957.
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Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society ADRIAN DUNCAN
In his Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle says that “happiness, a state we all pursue, is the full realization of our rationality. In order to be happy, to reach a selfsufficient, attainable, and final end, we should aim at the good.” Conversely, “the full realization” of our potential presupposes the successful attainment of more basic requirements, i.e. necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, and peace of mind, all of which contribute to a person’s eligibility to be a functioning member of society. It would not be far-fetched to say that gainful employment, i.e. Decent Work, is the medium through which one attains both these basic requirements and, further on, self actualization. However, according to the International Labor Organization, 70 million young people2 are actively— -but unsuccessfully— -looking for employment. They represent nearly 40% of the world’s total unemployed. Unemployment levels for this age group are generally two to three times higher than for the more senior population. In some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is as high as five times the rate for adults over age 45. Many of the young people who are employed find themselves in low paying temporary situations with little or no job security. It is 7:30 and it’s another Sunday morning patiently waiting on the Gleaner so that I can rummage through the classifieds to see if there are any vacancies available in my field. After skipping through the numerous stories about debt and death, I finally stumbled on the highly anticipated classified section, where my untold future opportunities await. Skipping pages and reading the interesting requirements needed for these positions puts a smile on my face and an even broader one. 12 years post graduation experience along with 7 years experience using certain required software. I paused and look at this advertisement for quite some time as I found it astounding to be asking a recent graduate from the University of College for so many years.
CONTD ON PAGE 7
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Do you remember just lyming with your friends about topical issues affecting our beloved country?
Here is an avenue for you ...
“Yaad Lyphe” The First truly Jamaican Lyming TV Series
Riveting and heated Jamaican youths Reggae
Gender
Discussions
Religion DANCEHALL
Development
EDUCATION
MUSIC
The Economy
Sports
Jamaica and Jamaicans’ development
The Economy Food sex The Family Culture sex Information Literacy Unemployment
Literacy
YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
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Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society ADRIAN DUNCAN
CONTD FROM PAGE 4 I sat for days pondering at the unemployment rate of our island. Yet still, each advertisement in the weekly newspaper is asking for at least 3 years working experience after the completion of your tertiary education. Sitting with this educated mind of mine, I started to think that this stupidness; how are you to get any experience without someone willing to take a chance and hire you? Being a University graduate student who is expected to “foster change”, how can I put my classroom knowledge into actions? Without an opportunity how am I able to help with the development of the work environment?
Presently, it seems it is expected that all university graduates will start their own business. Then again, that is another obstacle as in Jamaica to start any small business you need collateral; WHERE ARE WE TO GET THIS? I have seen countless Jamaican youths from Colleges and Universities across the island and are forced to sit at home for years with nothing to do and no opportunity for employment without experience. The Prime Minister in her New Year speech emphasized transformation and stressed that the citizens should continue believing in a better Jamaica but how can this be when we are not putting our intelligent minds to work unremittingly in helping to foster this transformation she spoke of. I do not believing asking a 24years old University graduate for 5 years post degree graduate experience is not helping to foster an intellectually driven workforce or even aid in the fostering of the projected Vision 2030 Strategic Plan that we have. Defining Caribbean Youths The United Nations’ definition of youth is 15-24 years old. The majority of youth policies in the Caribbean, however, see youth as beginning at 15 and ending at 30 years (Alexis 2000). The reason for this extended period of youth in the Caribbean is extremely high rate of youth unemployment. Youth represents the transition from childhood to adulthood. In the Caribbean and specifically, Jamaica youth can be defined as individuals spanning between 14 and 30 years. CONTD ON PAGE 8
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Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society ADRIAN DUNCAN CONTD FROM PAGE 7
Much has been discussed about the problems plaguing Caribbean youth and subsequent youth unemployment. Not enough has been discovered about the underlying causes and contributions to the problems, and remedies that may be suggested to overcome those. The youth played a critical role in the birth of the politically independent Caribbean, and most of them continue to manifest tremendous potentialities to overcome hurdles in order to attain high levels of personal and professional goals. However, factors capable of disrupting the process of positive attainments exist amongst youth, which in turn, coupled with a number of external factors, impede easy transition to employment. Over the last two decades, most Caribbean countries experienced severe economic decline and stagnation. This was a result of a loss of their preferential treatment in agriculture products, depressed market for minerals, losses due to lack of market diversification, stagnation of the manufacturing sector in the face of increased competition, and the increasing vulnerability of the tourism sector. Many countries have been forced to implement structural adjustment and stabilization programs, with resulting cutbacks in health, education, housing, and social welfare programs. More recently, global economic recession, debt service obligations and declines in development assistance have severely impeded economic recovery and growth for most of the Caribbean countries.
Youth Unemployment Rates Like in most parts of the world, unemployment in the Caribbean is primarily a youth phenomenon. Across countries in the Caribbean, youth unemployment rates double to quadruple the adult rates. According to the World Development Indicators, from 1996-98, St. Lucia had the highest unemployment rate in the Americas and the Caribbean, closely followed by Jamaica (among the countries for which data were available). Caribbean-wide data indicate that St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica, have the highest youth unemployment rates.
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YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
“From a Bird’s view “ How else do we expect to pull ourselves and in turn our nation at large out of its dire state if we are all going to mope in the lake of “feeling sorry for ourselves”? Remember the heights of great men, remember the limit being the sky, remember the ambitions we once had, the values we once placed on hard work and dedication, remember the times gone when “freeness” was nothing good. We need to open our eyes young ones, wise up and make educated decisions as if we are smart
individuals with the ambition to live pass the age of eighteen years.
The mental capacity of a man must be far greater than even the smartest has reached since it is said we only utilize about 10% of our brains. And without a doubt, as small as some heads are, and as tiny as some brains may be perceived to be, there are quite a number of folks, young and hearty, using even less brain space for positive, lucrative growth,
personally or otherwise.
Nonchalance won’t get us things that we will value for the rest of our lives. As the wise owl would say, “If you want good, your nose have to run”. Working for that which we desire,
affords us a sense of
appreciation that cannot be paralleled by always getting gifts, or waiting for someone else to work for it and then we take it. By the sweat of a man’s brow shall he eat bread, and butter, and rice, and
anything else his heart desires. Work to move into a better neighborhood, or
even to improve the state and status of the ones in which we now reside. Work hard at accessing knowledge; learn all you can, not just in the physical classroom, but let every place be a classroom. If knowledge is power, then it isn’t the man with the most
material things
that is the richest, but he who has the vastest knowledge, he who understands what he knows and he who has the wisdom to convert his knowledge and understanding into tangible articles. Contd fr page 7
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YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
Honoring our forefathers
BLACK EMPOWERMENT
FEB
2013
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
HONOURING THE PAST …. …. INSPIRING THE FUTURE Don’t forget all the blood and sweat that helped paved the way for our developments today... from slavery to presidency.
YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
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Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society ADRIAN DUNCAN CONTD FROM PAGE 8
Youth unemployment is likely to be quite underestimated in high unemployment economics where non-availability of employment over a prolonged period influences “discouraged workers” to stop looking for work. Youth unemployment in the Caribbean represents 40-60% (except Barbados) of the unemployed, even though youth comprise 20-30% of the labor force. A document entitled "Youth unemployment and employment policy" makes the point that youth unemployment is higher than adult unemployment in almost every country for which figures are available. The Caribbean is no exception to this trend. A 1997 document commissioned by the International Labor Organization (ILO) says of the Caribbean that: The youth cohort looms larger in terms of unemployment. An estimated 404,000 persons or 15% of the region's labor forces are unemployed. Of this 51% or 203,000 are between the ages of 1525. As a result, youth unemployment rates are substantially above the national averages across the region and average around 40% in the 15-19 age group and 30% in the 20-24 age group. Specific Social Problems in the Caribbean Beside the declining economic trends as mentioned already which limit employment opportunities for the youth, there are a number of social and cultural factors that not only add to the degrading economic situation but at the same time create insurmountable deterrent to the development of a healthy and positive labor force, therefore rendering a multiplier effect on In the Caribbean, aside from the ever-growing problem of unemployment, there are specific negative societal conditions, behavior among the youth, and outcomes of unemployment. All these add to the inculcating cycle of poverty and unemployment, which in turn breeds more poverty and unemployment for present and future generations. Enumerated below are the major negative societal conditions, behavior among the youth, and outcomes of unemployment. Early sexual initiation— - The Caribbean Region is characterized by very early onset of sexual activity. According to the nine-country CARICOM study, one third of school-going young people are sexually active. The history of early sexual initiation dates back to the days of slavery, when there were no other recreational facilities except sex after a hard day’s Herculean physical labor at the plantation.
CONTD FROM PAGE 14
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Doctaz Advice Uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids are noncancerous (benign) tumors that develop in the womb (uterus), a female reproductive organ.
Symptoms More common symptoms of uterine fibroids are:
Causes, incidence, and risk factors Uterine fibroids are common. As many as 1 in 5 women may have fibroids during their childbearing years (the time after starting menstruation for the first time and before menopause). Half of all women have fibroids by age 50. Fibroids are rare in women under age 20. They are more common in African-Americans and Caribbean natives. The cause of uterine fibroids is unknown. However, their growth has been linked to the hormone estrogen. As long as a woman with fibroids is menstruating, a fibroid will probably continue to grow, usually slowly.
•Bleeding between periods •Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), sometimes with the passage of blood clots •Menstrual periods that may last longer than normal •Need to urinate more often •Pelvic cramping or pain with periods •Sensation of fullness or pressure in lower abdomen •Pain during intercourse
Fibroids can be so tiny that you need a microscope to see them. However, they can grow very large. They may fill the entire uterus, and may weigh several pounds. Although it is possible for just one fibroid to develop, usually there are more than one.
Signs and tests The health care provider will perform a pelvic exam. This may show that you have a change in the shape of your womb (uterus).
Fibroids are often described by their location in the uterus:
It can be difficult to diagnose fibroids, especially if you are extremely overweight.
•Myometrial -- in the muscle wall of the uterus •Submucosal -- just under the surface of the uterine lining •Subserosal -- just under the outside covering of the uterus •Pendunculated -- occurring on a long stalk on the outside of the uterus or inside the cavity of the uterus
An ultrasound may be done to confirm the diagnosis of fibroids. Sometimes, a pelvic MRI is done. An endometrial biopsy (biopsy of the uterine lining) or laparoscopy may be needed to rule out cancer.
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Contd from pg. 9
We won’t all be lawyers and doctors. We won’t all wear nor want to wear a suit and tie. We however can place prestige on any career. We after all live in one of the swag states of the world. Trey Songz in his early days as a Hip Hop/R & B artiste sang in Gotta Make It, “…a suit and a smile don’t fit me, taking the bus for some miles just gon’ kill me”. But I have lived to
personally admire Trey in a fitting suit.
The boy is now a man, who can afford to look good in a suit any day of the week. As we all know, he was making reference to the kind of career path he foresaw himself taking. Let us be innovative and make that which we so desire become a reality. Never settle for your situation, move past “what is”, and enter into “what should and will be”. Be influential people, regardless of age, colour or pocket size. Inspire those who aren’t as insightful, and dare not try to just fit in. Today many of our fellow brothers and sisters are just sitting around awaiting the next messiah. Promote hope for your peers, whether through leading by example or by inspiring them to launch out for what they want. The crab in a barrel mentality is one which besets us. We need to care more. As a set of beautiful people, we daily are becoming pretty ugly, fakes, wolves in sheep garments. Where have the authentic Jamaican love gone? We can’t be too poor, or too sad to not care about our brothers and sisters. We are one body, one nation. When a little village or community hurts, a ripple effect generates, but some of us believe that if we hide in our strategically placed homes, drive our incredibly expensive, large and tinted cars, and shop in exclusively posh stores, we are set apart, and thus unaffected. Let us be wise one and all or we will all soon end up fluttering about like headless chickens. In all our aspirations never forget fundamentals and foundation upon which we have traversed from slave ship to ownership. So, until next time, one love
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Youth, unemployment and the Jamaican society ADRIAN DUNCAN CONTD FROM PAGE 8 Forced Intercourse–In a nine-country CARICOM study, almost half reported their first sexual experience had been forced. The proportion was high for both girls and boys: 48 and 32 percent, respectively. Non or little use of contraceptives– Despite high level of sexual activity among adolescents starting at a very early age, use of contraceptives remain fearfully low. Only a quarter of the CARICOM school-going sexually active sample are reported to use contraceptive and only negligibly more worry about getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy. Adolescent and undesired pregnancy— - As a natural sequence, there is an alarmingly high rate of adolescent pregnancy. About 85 percent of children in Jamaica and St. Lucia are born out of wedlock.
In Jamaica the University of Technology has established the Technology Innovation Centre6, a business incubator offering office space and a variety of services to young " techno-preneurs" (entrepreneurs in the information and communications technology sector). This is just a small sample of the many government initiatives aimed at engaging and assisting youth. The business incubation concept is not at all new to the Caribbean region. The idea of actively supporting fledgling small enterprises was central in the creation of industrial parks with factory shells rented at concessionary rates to new business owners. These facilities were not called incubators then. Historically these programmes were in the main aimed at attracting foreign investors with the promise of low overheads, relatively cheap labor, tax holidays and other concessions. For the host country, whose objective was the diversification of economies that were then still predominantly agricultural, the expected benefit was the jobs created and foreign exchange earned. Local ventures were not expressly excluded but they were not the
primary target of these interventions. What is envisioned in the modern concept of business
incubation is much more than a place where foreign business will be given factory space, pay low cost rent and be provided with the necessary infrastructure to make the "offshore-ization" of the business venture worthwhile.
Presently, in Jamaica there are no jobs for the vast majority of young persons who are unleashed onto the job market each year. The focus has to be on helping them to make their own. These are real people, not some fuzzy abstraction. These are the people who will determine how soon and with what success the region will become a part of the global information society. These young people need focused help in order to make a success of the business ventures on which they embark with so much enthusiasm and optimism. They have good marketable ideas. Investing in youth will ensure that the Caribbean and Jamaica specifically, doesn't get left stranded, drifting aimlessly on the wrong side of the digital divide. The message therefore has to be, "don't fight the flow." CHANNEL IT!!!!
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Truly Jamaican
A fi we ting! Ting is a carbonated beverage popular in the Caribbean. It is flavored with Jamaican grapefruit juice (from concentrate), and is both tart and sweet. Ting comes in a green glass bottle, green plastic bottle or more rarely in a green and yellow can. Like Orangina, the beverage contains a small amount of sediment consisting of grapefruit juice pulp. Ting is produced in the United Kingdom under license by Cott Beverages jamaicating.com/. Ting also now makes Pink Ting Soda, Diet Ting Soda, and Ginger Beer.
Hol ‘ a ting today.
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YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE THOUGHTS THOUGHTS FROM FROM AN AN EDUCATED EDUCATED MIND MIND FEBRUARY IS BLACK
FEBRUARY, the month of reggae legends Bob Marley and Dennis Brown; the month black people worldwide embrace as their own based on the numerous decades of enslavement and oppression. The month that numerous black people uses to help to release tensions brought on as a result of activities and punishment that was forced on their ancestors. Numerous Jamaicans especially the Rasta community, anticipate this month yearly as it gives an opportunity to showcase their ancestral spirits, continuity of culture as well as it gives an opportunity to educate the uneducated on aspects of their culture unfamiliar to them. Additionally, it helps to remember who we are as a people; that we are strong, resilient and persistent black people. We embrace true value despite our circumstances. We have been through the worst and should hold our heads high in gratitude for the work by our forefathers. -- Dillon Thomas
The Jamaica of Tomorrow‌ Creative minds The society we live in is filled with so much young bright minds. It is amazing that such a small island is filled with so much people of potential. Bright young minds in our high schools conceptualize new business ventures on a daily basis and as such credibility must be given to agencies that are helping to foster such development in our nations. For such a turn over the government need to put proper measures in place for the future development of these initiatives. There should be an incubation system established so that there is continued monitoring of these students and their gradual development as a young entrepreneur. Additionally, having a location to showcase their unique talents, skills and services will prove beneficial for these business developments. -- Adrian St. P. Duncan
YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE MAGAZINE
ALTURISTIC FEATURE The Valley Foundation is a non-governmental organization started by UWI staff and students with the mantra that trough collective responsibility and philanthropic endeavors we can collectively transform Jamaica. Chaired by Dr. Andre Haughton, includes Dr Kadamawee Knife, Dr. Densil Williams, Krystal Tomlinson, Duane McIntosh, Nadine Quarrie, Wrenea Samuels, Omar Edwards, Odayne Haughton and Isha Levy. “I believe in luck the harder I work the more of it I seem to have”, this is just one of the philosophical stands of Odayne “Staam” Haughton founder and facilitator of the Valley Foundation. A humble and diligent individual who masks his resilient and determine nature with his fluid and jovial personality is actively engaged in been the change he wants to see. A rising son from the west is fittingly enrolled at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus perusing his undergraduate studies in Computer Science with a minor in Management Studies while enrolled in Officers training with the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) stills find time to coordinate the most popular and successful mentorship programme on Campus, the Valley Foundation Kingston and St. Andrew Mentorship Programme. This mentorship programme facilitates students attending the UWI Mona Campus mentoring high school student from inner city high schools in and around the Mona vicinity. According to Odayne, mentoring has transformed and molded him, it was what first got him involved in the Cornwall College Cadet Core and he believes that “each one can help one and in so doing forming a chain reaction the stimulate and empower young Jamaicans” essentially laying the platform for growth and development. He has long been engage in philanthropic activities and had started a mentorship programme in his community in Rose Heights Montego Bay, and has undertaken a number of fund raising initiatives to help families from inner city communities in and around Montego Bay one of his most recent been the Valley Concert which on all accounts was a successful one. Although a nationally recognized youth leader he still remains humble and consistently motivate his peer through his words and action. “I’ve never failed I’ve only found a way that doesn’t work” his Odayne’s mantra. Speaking to the importance of time management and staying motivated he alluded to the fact that “nothing great or worthwhile achieving was ever achieved without enthusiasm” and that it was his “zealous nature” that motivated him and the sense of relieve from providing comfort for individuals in difficult circumstances. “I think that we automatically liberate others when we let our own light shine and when life throws lemons at you make lemonade and if we truly appreciate that we are what do then excellence becomes not an act but really a habit”. YAADI CULTURE, FIMI STYLE Magazine salutes this young outstanding Jamaican on his mission to clouds of success and stars of glory.