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| Home > Info Centre > Publications > Alert 1998 > JDF and the Youth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conventionally, armies were designed to be engaged in war with an external aggressor. In some countries the army played a significant role in their struggle for independence and as such largely determined the political and ideological policies of their government. But Jamaica has enjoyed relative peace, and here, as in most Caribbean territories, there is a clear demarcation between the political directorate and the military, the Jamaica Defence Force. Despite the many operations conducted in aid of the civil power, and despite enhancing the government’s foreign policy through its deployments to Grenada (1983 – 1985) and Haiti (1994 – 1995), there are still other avenues through which the Jamaica Defence Force may and continues to contribute to nation building. From Table ‘A’, it will be noted that of a population of 509,010 young persons, 169,266 or 49% are unattached. These are neither working nor in school or have migrated. Of this 169,266 approximately 90,000 are not working nor in school while the balance of 79,266 have migrated. It is this 90,000 young people who are not involved in the formal process of development, who are most open to be influenced by crime, drug abuse and other feared types of anti-social behaviour. To be actively involved in arresting the negative attitudes which have become characteristic of these youngster, requires programmes and polices geared to facilitate the development of the human mind and potential. Facilities must be found to challenge the mind and time of our youth in the direction of positive change, thus allowing them every opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills. The Jamaica Defence Force is being sensitive to this reality. Too few people however are aware of this thrust by the leadership of the army, and this has led many to question the role of the army and to ask whether or not it can be justified. Yet, the Army has been and continues to be involved in the management and arrangement of many social programmes affecting youth. This is borne out by its central involvement in the institutionalization and maintenance of the re-introduced National Youth Service Programme (NYSP) and the Special Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) instituted by Government, to remould youth aged 17-24.
In both programmes, youth are placed in residential centres for a period of four to six weeks. While in residence, they are exposed to a curriculum, which emphasizes issues such as, leadership training, socialization, discipline, conflict prevention and resolution among others. JDF instructors remain in the centres with these youngsters and help to mould them in the desired direction as it relates to their attitudes and values. As has been said in the past, "If wars are created in the minds of men, then it is in the minds of men that the solution must be found". As a people, our primary war should be against the root cause of social hardship and deprivation encountered by many among us. Contemporary reality demands that the Jamaica Defence Force must not only be equipped as a military machine but must continue to develop the habits of a machinery imbued with the sophistry and capability to influence the minds of men and women. What better way to start than with the minds of the youth?
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