PACE Sponsors Public Service Announcements in Jamaica
PACE CANADA SUPPORTS COLLABORATIVE MEDIA PROJECT WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMISSION AND THE ALPHA INSTITUTE SCHOOL OF MUSIC FOR THE RECORDING AND DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN RECOGNITION OF CHILD MONTH
In recognition of Child Month, The Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education (PACE) Canada is pleased to be able to announce the release of four public service announcements (PSAs) produced in collaboration with the Jamaican Early Childhood Commission and the School of Music at The Alpha Institute. The PSAs, which invite parents and community members to develop parenting skills and access readily available parenting resources in the community, have been circulated to radio in Jamaica and Canada. The messages are empowering and creating overlapping communities of beneficiaries for a multi-layered approach to awareness and capacity building. Previews and downloads of the PSAs are now available on the websites of PACE Canada (pacecanada.org) and ECC (ecc.gov.jm).
Sandra Whiting, President of PACE Canada, says it is important to engage young people in these types of activities. “PACE is pleased to be able to connect such important institutions for community benefit,” Whiting said. “PACE Canada is also proud to support communities across Jamaica and in this way help to address the everyday issues that we all face as parents.”
- Importance of a Good Breakfast
- Your Are Your Child’s First Teacher
- Parents, Take Time to Read to Your Children
- No beat the Pickney Dem
The grant from PACE Canada provided funding for strategy sessions with ECC, script writing, recording, production and promotion of the audio pieces. Designed to speak directly to parents and provide a starting point for family conversations, the PACE/ECC PSA project also put students at the Alpha Institute School of Music in a position to make real decisions for a real client.
“ECC is grateful to receive these special communication tools to help strengthen families and also drive utilization of parenting resources at ECC parenting centres nationwide,” said ECC Executive Director Karlene DeGrasse-Deslandes. “Parenting is an everyday, 24/7 responsibility and I am glad to know, as a result of our collaboration, good advice and guidance will be available to parents 24/7 on radio in Jamaica.”
Music technology students at the Alpha Institute School of Music met with ECC staff and worked as a team to develop the audio content following ECC guidelines. Rosamond Brown, Alpha’s radio programming instructor, said asking students to use their radio programming skills to communicate messages about parenting skills creates both immediate and long term benefits. Brown explained that radio offers a unique dual mechanism for capacity and awareness building. “Thanks to PACE Canada and its collaboration with the Early Childhood Commission, Alpha students were able to engage with everyday issues from an independent, vocational point of view,” she said, “which improves critical thinking and learning outcomes. These types of multi layered learning activities are important to growth and development and it is always great when we can affirm the importance of radio in our communities.”
PACE Canada promotes early childhood education for socio-economically disadvantaged children through responsive community efforts.
For more information please visit https://www.pacecanada.org
ECC offers integrated and coordinated delivery of high quality early childhood programmes and services, which provide equity and access for children zero to eight years within healthy, safe and nurturing environments.
For more information please visit https://ecc.gov.jm/
The Alpha Institute School of Music offers music performance and technology training to young men 16-22 years old.
For more information please visit www.alphainstitute.org.jm
