Our Mission
Jamaica Youth Education Support is committed to making a difference in the education of children in Jamaica . We will use our resources to better equip Jamaican schools to teach and inspire learning in the students they serve.
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A JYES Breakfast Program provided breakfast for kids at St Theresa Basic School in Anoto Bay. Read more...
About Jamaica YES
How JYES got started
~ by Dawn Clemetson, President of Jamaica YES
In the spring of 2004, Beresford Clarke asked me if EDS (the company I work for at that time) had any computers to donate. Beresford’s friend from Manchester High School in Jamaica had asked him for some equipment to add to their computer program. A few months later, my group at EDS went through a computer refresh – a throwing out of the old and in with bigger, strong, faster equipment. I asked and received permission to have eight computers (monitors and CPUs).
In August 2004, while on a trip to JA, I asked a friend about the needs of underprivileged schools in Jamaica. My friend is a teacher who so happened to be helping a school in St. Mary. What she said shocked me. “Their greatest need is not books. It is not computers. Their greatest need is food. The children come to school hungry.”. After the initial sadness, my thoughts went to who will help this school. Government? Local Jamaicans? It was on the flight home that answer came to me. I will help. So I sent an email asking the Jamaicans living in Dallas and friends of Jamaica to come together to help.
On August 11 th, 2004 five Jamaicans -- Beresford Clarke, Jonathan Clemetson, Conrod Goulbourne, Lena Lyn and myself -- met for the first time. Jamaica Youth Education Support was born. Since then, we have met almost every week.