Jamaica Youth Support Programs

What At-risk Means Here

It means a student whose education is fragile for reasons that have nothing to do with ability. A family that cannot absorb an unexpected cost. A school that cannot supply what the curriculum assumes every child already has. A young person who finishes school with no adult in their corner and no obvious next step.

Those are the students JEPF was set up for.

What the Programs Actually Provide

• Books and school supplies, including backpacks, computers, and printers collected and shipped to students and schools.

• Scholarships and educational assistance for students whose schooling is at risk over cost.

• Youth mentoring that keeps an adult in contact with a young person over time rather than for a single visit.

• Leadership development aimed at responsibility, decision-making, and confidence.

• Community outreach connecting families to support that already exists around them.

The Long-term Goal

All of it points at a permanent leadership training center in Jamaica: one place offering education, mentorship, leadership development, personal development, and preparation for work and adult life.

The center has not been built. JEPF is raising funds for it now, and that fundraising is the reason a Jamaica-focused nonprofit runs festivals and a business directory in Maryland.

Who Makes it Happen

JEPF is volunteer-led. Its officers receive no compensation. The team includes educators and alumni of Howard University, the University of Maryland, and Georgetown University, several of whom also substitute teach at High Point, Roosevelt, and Northwestern high schools in Maryland.

That teaching experience is why the programs are built around what schools and students actually lack rather than what sounds impressive in a brochure.