The air was permeated with the spirit of giving, as the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) launched its Yuletide Telethon on Tuesday, December 12, at its Harbour Street offices in Kingston.
The Telethon will take place from December 15 to 17 and is seeking to raise $40 million to support the projects that are listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s social platform, the JSSE.
There were a number of insightful presentations that spoke to the core values and purpose of the JSSE, as it relates to interventional activities that are helping to change lives in communities across Jamaica.
Managing Director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, Dr. Marlene Street Forrest led the charge in outlining the mission of the JSSE, explaining why the Telethon was necessary to keep the projects listed on the platform healthy and active.
The three projects are:
- “Shalom”, run by Choose Life International which addresses suicide prevention and mental illness as well as the Happiness Clubs in schools.
- “Love Changes Life” operated by Dr Donald Rhodd of the Praise Jamaica Foundation
- “JaMIN Music Entrepreneurship” based in Trench Town and operated by Dr Henley Morgan of the Agency for Inner-city Renewal.
JSSE board member Dr. K’adamawe K’nife spoke to the value of investment in the social sector. He urged the social enterprises to adopt proper business practices, noting that the fact that they are funded through altruism, means that they will always be under scrutiny and there will always be question marks around the element of trust.
“We cannot attain Vision 2030 or the key Social Development Goals without a very dynamic and robust ecosystem for the social services sector. The JSSE is the foundation for social enterprise and change in Jamaica. Through these efforts like the Yuletide Telethon we are laying the pathway for great social change that will even surpass the targets of Vision 2030 and the Social Development Goals.
Chairman of the JSSE, Professor Neville Ying, in his address said: “The energy of the Jamaican people is being sapped by social problems, not the least of which is crime and violence, people are fearful for their lives, leading to high levels of anxiety and depression.
“We have two choices: “We can sit back and do nothing, or we can step up and donate to the three causes and help to get Jamaica back on track in terms of its development. I fully endorse the Telethon and I urge the wider community to do the same.”
Dr Donovan Thomas of Choose Life International in his address noted that every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide across the globe. “In Jamaica the suicide rate saw a 26 percent increase in 2022 compared to 2021. People are traumatized and sometimes people feel powerless. He spoke of the recent case case of a young mother jumping to her death with her five-month-old baby.”
Choose Life International aims to empower people in five areas:
- Suicide Prevention
- Conflict Resolution
- Trauma Intervention
- Basic Skills in Counselling
- The art and science of happiness.
“People are hurting and we want to come through and touch them where they are hurting. The idea is that there will be a community element and a school element. We have started the Happiness Club in 10 schools and have another 11 schools that are waiting to get onto the project. I urge Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica to give generously so that the programme can be expanded to reach even more schools and communities.”
Dr Donald Rhodd, Managing Director of “Stop the Violence: Love Changes Lives” urged the public to contribute significantly to the Telethon to help children learn pro-social values and stop the anti-social behaviour and violence in the country.
Dr Henley Morgan of the JaMIN Project spoke passionately about the music project in Trench Town which is giving opportunity to the youth of that community. He outlined how the money received so far had been spent. Among the initiatives being unfurled under the JaMIN project is the establishment of the Caribbean’s first Pro Tools engineering academy. This will help young people to learn and develop music engineering skills.
There were also endorsements from Consul General for the Southern United States Oliver Mair and Honorary Consul Chris Chaplin.
Guest Speaker Bishop Everton Thomas of the Emmanuel Apostolic Temple, began his address with a personal pledge and a pledge from the church organization.
He called on the JSSE to get the churches on board to be able to engage a wider demographic across the country. “Jamaica faces monumental problems in crime and violence. According to the United Nations Ofiice of Drugs and Crime, our homicide rate is 55 per 100 000 persons, almost 10 times the world average of 6 per 100 000 persons. He called on the nation to develop a spirit of forgiveness, noting that it would lead to less cases of domestic violence in the country.
Manager of the JSSE Nora Blake, called on Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora to give generously during the Telethon to achieve the $40 million target.
The Yuletide Telethon will be broadcast live in Jamaica on CVM TV and the JSE’s own Cable Channel CBX via FLOW channel –143 and Digicel channel-28 and across the world via the Internet on both websites of the JSE -www.jse@jamstockex.com & the JSSE- www.jsseja.com, as well as the JSE’s social media platforms.
You may pledge or donate to the Telethon at www.jsseja.com
Other avenues for donating and pledging include:
Scanning the QR CODE on the landing page of the website
Clicking on the PROJECTS Tab at the top and then clicking on the project YULETIDE TELETHON 2023
Calling any of the following numbers:
– 876-612-5502 / 876-612-5507 / 876-612 5531 / 876-612-5444 / 876-612-5565
– Overseas: US/Canada 1 833 431 4199 – UK 0-800-048-8071
DIRECT BANK TRANSFER DETAILS FOR JSSE at NCB
Bank: National Commercial Bank Limited
Address: 124-126 Constant Spring Road
Beneficiary Name: Jamaica Social Stock Exchange Limited
Beneficiary Account #: 294021426
Type of Account: Chequing
2. Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) USD Banking Information:
National Commercial Bank Limited
124-126 Constant Spring Road
Beneficiary Name: Jamaica Social Stock Exchange Limited
Beneficiary Account Number: 294021434
Type of Account : Savings
WIRE TRANSFER DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE IF NEEDED.
For more information contact:
Andrew Clunis
Senior Marketing and Public Relations Officer
Jamaica Stock Exchange
Tel: 876-833-0161
