Jamaica

The learning never stops; over dinner, in the community center, at the sugar factory, with elders and youngsters, Westmoreland Parish is where the Caribbean meets the cane fields, and where making friends is as likely as hearing some good island beats.

Jamaica is Amizade’s hallmark example of our Fair Trade Learning model. In the last 19 years, over 1,000 participants have served and learned with our partner organization, the Petersfield Galloway Benevolent Society (PGBS), in the sugar producing parish of Westmoreland. Through this long-standing partnership, programs focus on cultural immersion, social action, and community-based learning. Amizade participants are uniquely embedded into Jamaican culture through homestays and a wide variety of community engagement activities. In addition community development and issues surrounding globalization, Amizade’s programs can focus on other themes, like education system structures, grassroots economic development, race and gender, community leadership and youth civic engagement. participants will arrive to/depart from Montego Bay and spend the program in one of two neighboring communities: Petersfield or Galloway. They will meet with local community and professional leaders; serve on projects developed by and implemented with PGBS members; and explore the country and culture through field trips, local presenters and community events.

RESOURCES

The Basics

Review the Amizade Jamaica Site Handbook.

Local Weather

BBC Country Profile

National Library of Jamaica

Recommended Readings

“Sugar is Life” Report from the Association of Clubs

The Case for Historic Preservation and Global Learning in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica: Report by students from Agnes Scott College

From Freedom to Bondage: The Jamaican Maroons, 1655-1770

Local News Sources

The Jamaica Observer