One hundred and twenty-nine guidance counsellors from five of the Ministry of Health's regions across the island participated in a one-day workshop on human relations and sexuality at the Shaw Park Beach Hotel in Ocho Rios on Tuesday.
The participants, drawn from Regions One, Two, Three, Five and Six, were instructed in new approaches for delivering a curriculum which complements the ministry's family-life-education curriculum used in schools.
The workshop was held in collaboration with the New Jersey Physicians Advisory Group project, Yes You Can, and the Montego Bay-based Pregnancy Resource Centre.
The workshop was well received by participants and some persons admitted to changing their outlook on certain topics, including on abortion, after viewing a video on the subject.
Director of Project Yes You Can, Bernadette Vissani, who was one of the presenters, said her programme seeks to help youths in Essex County, New Jersey, to avoid high-risk behaviour.
- Carl Gilchrist
Portland student wins int'l poster competition
PORT ANTONIO, PORTLAND:
Huddoy Walters is the pride of Port Antonio Primary, having copped top honours in the Junior Division of the 2009 Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Environmental Poster Competition.
For his winning poster titled 'Preserving Our Island's Paradise', the Portland student not only defeated other entrants from the wider Caribbean and Latin America, but earned US$6,000 to be split with his school.
At the award luncheon held aboard the Island Princess cruise liner on Wednesday at Reynold's Pier in Ocho Rios, St Ann, Huddoy thanked the FCCA for the award. He said he would use part of his winnings to purchase a desktop computer.
Huddoy's poster illustrates ways to reduce human impact on the ecosystem by replanting trees, recycling waste materials and reducing air and water pollution. He said he was inspired by the need to protect the environment.
A total of 17 destinations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America participated in the competition, with 13-year-old Laurane Pecome from Martinique winning the senior division.
- JIS
Jamalco eases drought problems
MOCHO, clarendon:
Jamalco came to the rescue of about 5,000 residents in Mocho, Clarendon, when the company provided some 12,000 gallons of potable water to the drought-stricken area on Thursday. The company delivered water to the districts of Belmont and Foga, as well as to the Ashley All Age and Mount Airy Primary schools.
The schools were on the verge of closure because of lack of water. Devon Brown, principal, Mount Airy, said: "Words cannot express my gratitude. If it wasn't for Jamalco, the school would have been closed. We were in preparation for GSAT but there was no water to continue."
At Mount Airy, the water was stored in a 20,000-gallon tank at the school to serve both the community and the school.
Joslyn Lennon, chairman of the Mocho Community Council, was grateful and thanked Jamalco for coming to the community's rescue.
- A.C.
Committee formed to protect Dolphin Head
RIVERSIDE, HANOVER:
A group of concerned citizens from the Dolphin Head community in Hanover has come together to form a committee, which will work to protect the unique flora and fauna of the Dolphin Head Forest Reserve.
The 14-member Dolphin Head Local Forest Management Commit-tee, launched on Wednesday at the Riverside Seventh-day Adventist Church, will be managed by the Forestry Department.
The committee is the seventh of its kind in the island.
The Dolphin Head Forest Reserve is an area of high botanical diversity with pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and recreational value. It boasts an astonishing 32.5 per cent rate of plant endemism, making it one of the most valuable terrestrial habitats in the Caribbean.
- JIS