Plans for 2019
Our Annual Reports are drafted and approved by the Directors of Jamaica 2000 in March the following year, so we are currently reviewing the activities and support given to a range of initiatives we have been involved with during the past year.
The ideas we have for JAMAICA 2000 in 2019 are:
- to write up the experience of accrediting Jamaican to A Level equivalent - a world first! "Awards for All" may support this.
- to work with JCDC, the Jamaican Commission for Cultural Development to pilot the introduction of Jamaican Culture Clubs in UK. The English Arts Council may support this.
- to support the Windrush Generation celebrate Windrush Day - English Government funding may support this.
We also feel we need to raise our profile again and create a new vibrant image:
- we need to come up with a new name and perhaps relaunch the organisation - possibly as "Jamaica! Jumieka!” - as in our next phase we will be working on Jamaican language and cultural activities, working intergenerationally to pass on cultural and linguistic skills
When you have time please think about and suggest ideas. Please use the 'Contact Us" tab. We would love to hear from you!
JAMAICA 2000 Annual Report 2019 – 20
Again this year, members of Jamaica 2000 have been campaigning on issues and working to support the various spin offs from Jamaica 2000 including: the Jamaica Wales Alliance, the Pennants Project and working to develop and pilot Jamaican Culture Clubs in UK, as well as exploring ways to support Windrush Day and Black History research.
Our geographic distance made things difficult, but Directors maintained their focus as required, picking up work on fundraising, considering the future for the organisation which will recognise 20 years of activity next year. This brought us into discussion with prospective Board Members and a meeting was held with the Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations which leads engagement with local partners and stakeholders and supports the areas diverse Sector to respond effectively to local needs.
Jamaica 2000 Directors also worked on developing our links and relationships with Learning Links International, the Jamaica Wales Alliance and the North Wales Jamaica Society, as well as the new South Wales Jamaica Society and the colleagues we link with in Jamaica.
Yasus Afari accepted our invitation again this year to support Black History Month in Wales and this proved very successful in regenerating interest in the “Jamaica Wales Alliance”. This is managed by Learning Links International and is supported by the Jamaican High Commission. See www.jamaicawalesalliance.com.
This helped us refocus and we have continued with discussions to clarify the next steps with the ‘Jamiekan Language Project’. Over the years Jamaica 2000 has achieved a great deal in gaining recognition for Jamiekan/Jamaican as a language and in September 2019 the Jamaican Language Unit at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona started a national conversation on the appropriate positioning of the Jamaican language in official spaces, under the slogan ‘Make Jamaican Official… Just Do it’, as the unit’s contribution to the 100 days of activities to celebrate the centenary anniversary of the birth of cultural icon, Louise Bennett-Coverley, popularly known as “Miss Lou”. Coming out of the discussion, the Unit is hoping that the Government will move to make the Jamaican language official, alongside English. The Jamaica 2000, Jamaican Language team, are following this up to find the best way to tell the story of our achievements.
We maintained links with Jamaican School, through the Pennants Project and Yasus Afari led on the ‘Building Bridges’ project, supported by Learning Links International getting young people in Jamaica and in Wales to write poetry about their lives, as part of keeping the “Widening Horizons” Project alive.
Our second application to the Government in UK for funding for the recognition of Windrush day in England was unsuccessful again, but there is potential to work with Yasus Afari on the Windrush Departure project he is leading. However, we did get National Lottery Celebration funding* of £1,000 to enable us to review and prepare a plan to take Jamaica 2000 forward and to pilot Jamaican Culture Clubs. These funds came on a Bank Card and so are not be shown in the accounts. The expenditure will be accounted for in the 20-21 accounts.
Again, thanks go to our team members for continuing to keep focussed on Jamaican interests in a range of different ways and for investing a great deal of their own time and energy into maintaining the momentum started in 1997 that was formalised into the Charity ‘Jamaica 2000’.
Other that the *National Lottery Celebration funding of £1,000, there was no other income and Bank Charges were the only expenses.
Liz Millman: Development Director Jamaica 2000
July 2020