Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

Kevin Cameron is in need of a mentor. The 13-year-old student of Calabar High School lost his father at the age of four, but says he is determined not to allow violence to mar his future.

Kevin, who lives with his mother, Sandra Bundy, in the volatile community of Tawes Meadows in Spanish Town, St Catherine, wants to become a scientist. However, without a father, he often finds it difficult to steer his way through the many negative influences he faces.

"In today's society when all around is chaos and mayhem, every well-thinking young person must see the need to have a conscious and stable individual to help them develop a positive attitude," he said yesterday.

Kevin was speaking during the launch of the Inner-city Basic Services Project Mentoring Programme at Jamaica House, St Andrew.

Joint effort

The programme is under the collaborative guidance of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU).

It is aimed at providing mentors for 180 children from inner-city communities in Kingston and St Catherine.

According to JSIF Managing Director, Scarlette Gillings, the programme will enable mentors to provide guidance, counselling, advice and a positive direction to the youths, aged 13 to 19 years old.

"This programme is not about handouts," she said. "It is not about giving financial aid or supplementing the income of the families. The programme, however, represents an opportunity for Jamaicans to offer themselves as role models."

She further said it was an avenue through which Jamaicans could create real and lasting change in the lives of some of the youths living in the inner cities.

The mentees will be selected from six communities, including Jones Town, Federal Gardens (in Trench Town) and Whitfield Town in Kingston and Central Village and Tawes Pen in St Catherine.

A one-year contract was also signed yesterday between the JSIF and YOU, valued at $4.3 million, through which YOU will provide services in several areas, including mentor screening and identification and mentee training.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com