Jamaicans are always been a people on the move. We are a people who have a magnet for opportunity where ever it may be located.
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The continuing global economic tsunami has created a new momentum for a significant movement of peoples, from the diaspora:
Loss of wealth from our 401K and home equity
Increasing unemployment
Limited job prospects going forward
Constant retooling of one’s skill set
An increased sense of strengthening family links
are just some of the factors driving this renewed pilgrimage.
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As always, there is an easy way and a hard way to accomplish this task. Some fool hardily saunter into this experience and usually pay dearly for taking this path. Help is available if we just look.
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It was my privilege to enter into conversation with Dale Pilgrim-Wade who is a resident guru on relocation to Jamaica.
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Ms. Dale Pilgrim-Wade , relocation Expert
Dale Pilgrim-Wade is an Associate with Framework Consulting and currently heading up its Transition Service practice. She possesses a BA. in International Relations, with a focus on Latin America & The Caribbean and an MA in Counselling. She has worked as a Communications Manager with organizations such as the AAMC located in Washington DC, Kaplan College in Boca Raton Florida, and specialized in designing Mentoring & Retention based programmes intended to change student behavioral outcomes.
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Dale is no stranger to Adults in Transition, as she left a career as a College Academic Advisor who specialized in adult student populations returning to college to change careers, to now assisting expatriates settle in a new environment. She currently utilizes her skills and talents for by providing mentorship, support and guidance for expatriate families relocating to Jamaica and in the Carribean.
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Dale has been living in Kingston Jamaica for the last three and a half years, and recently co-authored the ” Trinidadian Executive in Jamaica,” a Framework Consulting study of Trinidadian Executives and the challenges they face as expatriates running companies in Jamaica West Indies
It was her birthday, and I wanted to affirm my friend on her special day. She however was excited about something far different. Her nephew had successfully been accepted in a local university and had joined the rich tradition of her family of making college an imperative. This was the third generation of college attendees for this family. Her family would be doing everything within their power to support family members to escape the vortex of male drop out of the education system.
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On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail,
prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.
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Dropouts become incarcerated at a shocking rate:
23 of every 100 young Black male dropouts were in jail on any given day in 2006-07
6 to 7 of every 100 Asian, Hispanic or White dropouts suffer a similar consequence.
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While young Black men are disproportionately affected, the report found that this crisis cuts across racial and ethnic lines.
Male dropouts of all races were 47 times more likely to be incarcerated than their peers of a similar age who had graduated from a four-year college or university.
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There has been a dramatic worldwide decline in the number of men in colleges and universities. Here is the troubling fact.
Percentage of men in college in 1949 - 70%
Percentage of men in college in 2006 - 42%
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This could have been just another passing tragic headline, but we still have leaders that cannot allow such items to be tossed upon a pile of unsolved crises.
Rev. Bertram Melbourne, PhD.
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Dr. Bertram Melbourne is no ordinary leader. His motto gives some insight into his life philosophy.
“I believe in leading by example.”
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“He works easily with students and models what he expects from from them.”
George E. Rice, PhD.
Dr. Melbourne clearly understands the dire implication of this issue remaining unchallenged, and so in August of 2009, began to formalize an initiative :
Help to make college graduation a life goal for boys and young men.
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He and several colleagues gave birth to College Educate Our Sons (CEOS), an interfaith organization. These pioneers formulated an architecture that individual and community organizations can use to encourage, motivate boys and young men to achieve academically and be prepared for entrance into colleges and universities.
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It is now October, 2009, and this concept is taking root like wild fire. it has been adopted in all 50 states in the United Sates, and in 22 additional countries around the world. I had the privilege in conversing with Dr. Melbourne about CEOS.
Life is indeed precious, and so the preservation, and enhancement of this issue gets all of our attention.
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For the past eight months in the US, there has been a vigorous, and loud debate on how health care will be reformed. The voice of the politicians, insurance companies, lobbyists, tea party protesters boon across the landscape.
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Well, there is a significant component of healthcare that stays out of the political food fight ,and keep their eyes on the prize of training the new doctors the service our needs, and do the innovation needed to conquer the diseases still haunting our well being.
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Effective leadership is key to provide the ethical, and innovative framework to enable such a possibility.
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Dr. Albert Reece, MD, PHD, MBA
Well, we found such a person in Dr. Albert Reece. His medical school supplies 50% of the doctors for the state of Maryland. He leads to school that ranks in the top 50 in the nation. His concerns for healthcare generously spills beyond the bounds of Maryland and has touched the lives of folks in his native land of Jamaica.
He was recently recognized for his untiring effort when he was awarded the Marcus Garvey Universal Negro Improvement Association Award. Listen to the interview below to see what his contribution.
In 2006, he came dean tof the prestegious school of medicine at the University of Maryland.
Dean Reece received a B.S. degree (magna cum laude) from Long Island University and an M.D. from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.
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In addition, Reece holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, and an M.B.A. from the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University. He has published 11 books, four monographs, and 450 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and abstracts. Reece is a sought-after lecturer, nationally and internationally, in his areas of expertise.
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An expert on the mechanism of diabetes-induced birth defects, Dean Reece and his research group have pioneered the discovery of the dominant biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the cause of these birth defects, as well as methods to prevent these anomalies. He and his research team have also developed a technique for early prenatal diagnosis with potential for use in curative fetal therapy.
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Dean Reece is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, and he serves on IOM’s Board on Health Sciences Policy, the March of Dimes Scientific Advisory Committee, the Administrative Board of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Executive Committee of the National Council of Deans. He has also served on boards at several federal government agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality and multiple committees and councils at the National Institutes of Health. In May 2006, the National Academies’ National Research Council and IOM announced Reece’s appointment to a newly commissioned committee to monitor and revise the Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Most recently, Dean Reece became Chair of the Council of Deans for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in October 2008.
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We have the privilege of getting a few ticks from his busy clock to give us some of his keen insights into the field of healthcare, far away from the noisy debate that is shaping on national policy.
Here we are on September 23, 2009, 100 days from the 2009 finish line.
We might have set lofty goals for the year , but time and circumstance might have derailed our plans.
Is there a means of getting back on track?
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Why is December 31, 2009 Important right now?
One of the most valuable lessons to be learned, in terms of achieving goals, is to begin at the end. When working towards any goal, most people begin at the logical beginning . The problem with starting at the beginning is most of us are focused on where we are right now. It is natural to begin from where our current strengths and weaknesses are. Then what we normally do is put one foot forward based on those things.
So What’s wrong with that?
We may spend valuable time chasing things that don’t matter and ignoring the things that do matter either because of ignorance or unwillingness to commit to finding a better way. Those that have the greatest chances of finding the solutions to their problems or challenges are the people who seek first to discover what it is that they do not know. To have the right answers, you need to possess the right questions.
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Are these your questions?
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. What specific results have you achieved so far this year?
2. Are you healthier, wealthier, and wiser?
3. Are you winning, losing or just holding ground?
4. What results are you committed to achieve
by the end of the year?
5. How have you grown and what have you
learned this year?
6. Is there any unfinished business that needs
to be tended to in your life?
7. Are you actively pursuing what’s most
important on a daily basis?
8. What habits do you need to change to
ensure better results?
9. What is the key issue that inhibits your
ability to perform at your best?
10. Want to do something to positively change your situation?
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Here is what I will be doing.
1) Listen to a free online seminar to get me focused on my initiative to finish 2009 strong. If you want to join me, go to:
I have not been to the local mall since last year. Before you acuse me of not supporting the effort, the FEDEX and UPS trucks know my address better than the postman, as I prefer the on-line experience. My youngest daughter cajoled me into experiencing a real mall experience as we made our way back to college, yes back to school shopping.
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The only other shopping season that surpass back to school is Christmas. I was in for a rude awakening at my real mall experience. Sure the anchor strore were still there, but severl store windows were darkened, or new enterprises occupied old store fronts. I find myself looking at the mall map to get around. I was witnessing the aftermath of our economic Katrina. A cautious mood at best is in the air.
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Ladies, you our chief purchasing agents have spoken. Take a look at the latest trends
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Although women have been affected less from an unemployment perspective , 73 % of women shared that this recession has changed the way they think about saving and spending.
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Given this, others are adopting to the new consumer reality. Here are a few tips shared by Marti Barletta, a leading thinker on marketing to women.
Price overshaows value - brand loyaly loses
Thrift counts more than convienence - time saving is taking a back seat.
Sustainables trump disposables - resuables are in
Essentials eclipse indulgences - upscale products are hosed.
Online shopping in in vogue- the internet offers more ways of finding savings
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One of the winners in all of this is Walmart. Their pricing and convienence continue to bring them consumer success even in this terrible recession. They also have another powerful weapon that needs to get more profiled because of its success. It is Walmart’s use of social media through their elevenmoms blogging program.
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Wal-Mart equipped eleven mommy bloggers known for their shopping smarts with a video cameras, makeovers, a photo shoot, and an opportunity to turn their frugal ways into short videos of money-saving tips.
Usain Bolt is not only rewriting records, he is overshadowing historical personalities such as Jesse Owen .
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And let me add, modifying nursery rhymes . Try this one on for size.
And bionic Bolt stands alone.
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Yes Usain Bolt owns the world stage.
No Phelps, no Woods, no Federer, no Williams sisters, no LeBron James, no Kobe, no Tom Brady!
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The Germans, who hosted this summer’s track and field top event, seized on the opportunity to erase the memory of Hitler at the 1936 Olympics by donating a 3 ton piece of the wall, the smashed wall .This symbol of division is now redeemed into a symbol of honoring the bionic Bolt, a means of immortalizing Bolt’s magnificent feats. They too appreciate the enormous scope of his achievement.
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The New York Times produced a powerful graphic to put Bolt’s achievement into historical perspective. Take a look.
In addition, sports medical science are trying to understand how a 6 ft. 5 inches guy can take 41.5 strides in his 100 meter dash.
Superbowl champion wide receiver Hines Ward muses about seeing Bolt in the American football game.
The minister of Tourism Bartlett wants to leverage Bolt’s flamboyant presence to bolster the tourism economy.
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Bolt is clearly a multiple generational phenomena. Jamaica is extremely blessed with Bolt being in our family. We need to take a larger strategic look on how we can multiply the positive impact of Bolt.
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The leverages to date has been focused on external implications. We look at his physical accomplishments , beat our chest, rerun the events, and through our national pride further the storyline.
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Let me suggest an additional component to make us reap even a richer blessing from his presence.
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Let’s face it. Our young men are in trouble. Strong role models are needed to provide a positive influence. Bolt is not only physically blessed, he has a mental toughness, and focus that are important ingredients in developing social intelligence. This is an enormous responsibility to place on his shoulder, but his promotion of clubs like Scouts, or other male-oriented institutions could provide a renaissance to these character building groups.
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How about a series of public service announcement with the Governor General promoting the ” I believe in Jamaica “ theme.
Would it be great to see Bolt and the entire track and field team promoting farming as a career choice for the young ?
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Well, I know you have your own thoughts. How can Bolt be used to transform the Jamaican community beyond his athletic prowess?
The Jamaican national motto is ‘Out of Many One People’, based on the population’s multi-racial roots. The motto is represented on the Coat of Arms, showing a male and female member of the Taino tribe standing on either side of a shield which bears a red cross with five golden pineapples. The crest shows a Jamaican crocodile mounted on the Royal Helmet of the British Monarchy and mantling.
The aspirational tone of this motto may have given us the false sense that we have arrived at the kum ba ya era of heaven-bound maturity. However, recent criticisms from a chorus of global voices have given me pause to reconsider how well we have practiced the call of this motto in an evolving and demanding 21 st. century global community.
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We have initially pushed back calling the criticism unfair, and un-warranted. However, is this a teachable moment that we are missing that could propel us into a future that gets us into fuller alignment with our motto?
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Let me raise some discussion regarding the two most prevalent concerns that I have heard. These are regarding:
Homophobia
Second class service of African-American clients
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We can deal with these perceptions in several ways.
We could vehemently deny them.
We can bury our heads in the sand, and install the code of silence.
We can muster the needed courage and address the issues square on.
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I am choosing the later, and invite you to do likewise. The timely addressing of the tarnishing of our brand will have implication on our moral development and economic future whether we like it or not.
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Our brand value is what others perceive you possess. It is also something you can develop, shape, and control. Branding is what makes you unique — and better than all your competition in the marketplace.
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So, who are the shapers of our brand that would create such a growing negative perception?
How do they get employed for such an important function?
Who preserves and defend the wealth of the culture ?
How do we create tools and mechanisms to transmit the best and discourage the worst in the culture within the constraints of the constitution?
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Dance hall musicians have been tagged the leading cultural pied pipers and they are clearly holding a heavy sway over the hearts and minds of our youngsters.
This week, we celebrate the 40th year of that glorious moon walk. While it is good to reflect, a perilous future confronts our near term journey. It calls for new innovation, new pioneering to provide our economy with high octane fuel. For this to happen, the underutilized human potential need to be energized and new dreams and possibilities given birth.
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A new set of alchemists are needed to encourage this process, and guess what folks, I think they are here!
What do you get when you combine the energy of a social entrepreneur, a master teacher, and a motivational speaker?
You have a wining team dedicated to change young lives through the catalyst of entrepreneurship. Meet the fantastic partnership of:
Toniette Wheatle , the founder of Wheatle Peart, which is a social consulting business. www.WheatlePeart.com
Alphonso Roundtree , former NFL player and global guest speaker. www.ARoundtree.com
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These folks have joined capabilities to partner with business institutions and go into under served communities and get youngsters excited about entrepreneurship. They are growing young CEOs in some places written off by many. They have designed the teen CEO blueprint with much success. This blueprint is being deployed in North America, Asia, Africa, and of course, Jamaica.
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The current economic situation has left us reeling. Finding work for many is as frustrating and elusive as catching a duppy (a ghost for you non-Jamaicans ). Being able to truly appreciate one’s potential, develop partnerships, products and services in a global oyster will serve us well going forward.
Maybe you were laid off, or finished your schooling, and here you are trying your best to secure that interview . After working your network, and exercising all your skills, you have an opportunity to show your stuff. How you you make the most of the interview opportunity?
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I have compiled a list of suggestions from at HBR article by David Silverman. Here goes:
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Dress appropriately. a business suit is appropriate. If you’re a man, wear a tie.
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Be prepared to be crisp in your responses. Do not waste the interviewees time. Rehearse if that will refine your delivery.
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Listen well. The most useful skill in sales is listening — and in an interview, you’re selling yourself.
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Ask questions. Have a few prepared questions ready to roll out.
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Show interest. This could also be called “sucking up.” When an interviewee doesn’t ask me anything about myself, she’s not just saying “I’ve got pride in my accomplishments and don’t need to pander to you.” She’s also showing me that she isn’t good at showing interest in other people. Which means she’s going to have a hard time politically in the company.
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Do your research. You can show the hiring manager that you took the time to learn something about the company.
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Be courteous to the interviewer’s support staff: secretaries, assistants.
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Use the interviewer’s name a least once in a response. “Well John, with my background in ….” or “Well, Mr. Jones, you should know …”
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Close the interview with a handshake and say something along the lines of: “I’m interested in working with XYZ and the team here.” (Ask for the sale!)
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When I’m interviewing, I want to know the candidates’ philosophy, their experience, their vision, and their ability to come up with concrete ideas. A good candidate will be able to demonstrate that they can picture themselves doing the job that we’re asking them to do.
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Take a thank you card with you and as soon as you leave the interview take 2 minutes to personally write a thank you, mention a positive part of the interview that the interviewer particularly bought in to or if something did not go so well its a chance to explain positively. Mail it immediately.
Here we are on the threshold of an event that will surpass the magnitude and scope of Princess Di’s funeral.
I remember her funeral well, as I found myself in London the day after Di’s funeral, and the swell of emotion was just overwhelming. Mother Teresa has also died that same week, and I was perturbed that her recognition was swamped by the media spotlight on the Princess.
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So, I approach this post within that context, as I am not one taken by celebrity allure. I was actually poked to express my thoughts regarding the last 12 days of global reaction to Michael’s death.
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Communication technologies were on the verge of meltdown after the TMZ story was released. Even the “omnipotent” Google experienced challenges in satisfying the 4.2 million visitors per minute tying against all hope to dismiss their unbelief. Well, his death is real, and today he is memorialized. There is planned an extravaganza that will dazzle our eyes, but will it satisfy our hearts?
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Given all the tragedies surround Michael’s life, I am choosing to remember Michael through the principles of parenting. My youngest daughter has a means of giving me feedback when my interaction with her falls short of expectation. She simply say, “Disrespect!”
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She thus grabs grabs my attention and challenges me to evaluate and correct my attitude and communication.
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The privilege of parenting is such an awesome responsibility, and that is the theme that I will remembering beyond this memorial day. The critical difference or the contrast in parenting provided to Michael seems to lurk around his life’s story.
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So, I am using this post to remind us of some of the essentials that our kids need from us to be able to grow strongly into adulthood.
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My child needs to feel Loved.
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My child needs to feel accepted.
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My child needs to feel important.
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My child needs to be recognized.
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My child needs to feel independent.
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When we become effective in influencing our children in a healthy way, they will truly be kings and queens.
