Birthright trips to fire up Jamaica ties
Published:Wednesday | June 15, 2022 | 12:12 AM
An initiative being explored by the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council could see youth aged 18-35 travelling to Jamaica under a suite of trips dubbed the Birthright Jamaica Programme.
North representative of the council, Dr Kevin Brown, said given the fact that the majority of the diaspora were born outside of Jamaica, there is need to forge a connection beyond what they have learnt at home and gleaned from popular Jamaican culture.
“What we have is a very exciting project that is currently being developed and we hope to launch it next year,” he told a youth panel on Tuesday during the Jamaica 60 Diaspora Conference.
Brown shared that the birthright concept was popularised by the Israeli government and non-governmental sector, with a programme that aims to bring people back to their homeland.
Individuals are eligible for a Birthright Israel trip if they are between 18 and 32 years old, of Jewish descent, and have at least one Jewish parent.
He added that GraceKennedy, one of the legacy sponsors of the Diaspora Conference, hosts the Jamaican Birthright Programme, which is an internship offered to qualified applicants of Jamaican lineage.
It includes educational, professional, and cultural exposure for applicants who are assigned to GraceKennedy business offices.
“What we are trying to do is expand that programme, and we want to have a lot more people coming home. The first package we are considering is a 10-day cultural immersion trip,” said Brown.
“We will put on a series of activities for them to learn about their Jamaican identity and to have an understanding of their Jamaican heritage.”
The second is a six-week internship with private- or public-sector entities, while participating in cultural excursions.
Brown shared that the third package is a multi-faith experience.
“We know that there are young people in the diaspora who are Christians, who are Rastafarians, who are Muslims, they are multi-faith, and we want them to understand what faith is like in Jamaica,” the north representative said.
He added that the diaspora group is also exploring the opportunity for expatriate youths to study in Jamaica, for a semester, a year, or the full length of the chosen programme.
“For those young people who are professionals, we are looking at a fellowship scheme where they can come and work in companies for about 12 months for capacity building and knowledge exchange,” he said.
Brown did not provide any details about the financing of the trips.