The Graduating Class of the
Bauxite Community Development Programme for
Community Remediation & Literacy Intervention
Alpart Sports Club, Nain, St. Elizabeth
Tuesday November 16, 2010
2:00 p.m.
Alison J. Cross EdD
Executive Director, Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning
PROTOCOL & SALUTATIONS
Everybody wants the same things, don’t they?
Everybody wants a happy end
They wanna see the game on Saturday
They wanna be somebody’s friend
Everybody wanna work for a living
Everybody wants their children warm
Everybody wants to be forgiven
They want a shelter from the storm
I am sure everybody living in Jamaica or loving Jamaican music would have heard those lyrics before. Even if you failed to catch every word in the powerful ditty because you were grooving to the familiar, hard driving rhythms under them… somehow you got the essence of the song – SOLIDARITY.
The song’s power is derived from its simplicity as it accurately describes a universal truth…that there is not very much differentiating one human being from another, apart from a few externals such as gender/colour/accent…Once we pause to think about it, that is a concept with global appeal.
A secondary, but equally powerful aspect of the ‘Solidarity’ story that is not immediately obvious is that its exponents, the globally recognized “second generation” reggae band Black Uhuru derived its name from the Swahili word meaning "freedom”. Why is this significant? Well, for one thing the group was born in the war-torn Kingston inner city district of Waterhouse.
It is indeed a powerful tribute to the human spirit that we can ALL rise above the ‘objective realities’ of our physical environment to excel and to find freedom. It is also worthy of note that the song implies very strongly – just as does the Holy Bible with its profusion of ‘one another’ scriptures that at the ‘ROOTS’ of our escape to greatness and freedom are assured when we Rely On Ourselves To Survive (R-O-O-T-S). Note the plural form – ourselves, which implies inter-dependence rather than selfish pursuit.
What does all of this have to do with today’s function? Well the most obvious link is the fact that we live in community – literal geographic communities like Nain, cultural communities like Jamaicans at home and abroad, or global communities based on common elements like vocation or training. The truth is, the world runs on partnerships of all kinds, giving rise to the popular management science acronym for team: Together, Each Achieves More.
The fact that each of you made it this far in maximizing your potential is a product of partnership. You had to first develop that self confidence to make the initial step, the JBI had to believe in you individually and collectively to invest in the process, the teachers and the JFLL team, your community leaders and the host bauxite company – Alpart ALL had to cast their hat into the ring before we could even think of beating the odds and achieving this step.
Having come thus far, you will need to continually invest in personal, professional and social partnerships to continue on your growth path. The fact today we have been able to increase the number of graduates over the last time signifies tremendous collective effort when we think about how tough the global environment has been financially. We are very pleased, but not surprised because this grit and determination have come to characterize the global Jamaican community – making much out of little, and daring to succeed against the odds.
On the down side, there is a temptation to be divisive when times get tough, and to play the ‘us vs. them’ game when resources get even scarcer and we get caught up the fight for our piece of the pie. That takes us full circle to the need for collective effort – solidarity.
The way value is created in the 21st century is very much different from the previous two hundred years. Companies as we knew them are disappearing, and the skills of survival are shifting. We live in the information age, where we must get a grip on what is happening down the road as much as what is happening in Detroit or Dominica or Dubai. With that knowledge, we must activate our networks to either find solutions for the problems, or to create solutions for others.
In a funny way it means that while we must be able to process information critically, quickly and well…we must also maintain our local and global networks to create the levels of success/wealth, which by extension determine the quality of life we desire for ourselves and our loved ones.
Congratulations for making this critical first step…now you are better able to access and process valuable information independently, and hopefully your social skills have been honed at the same time, so you have deepened your understanding of how to contribute to while benefiting from working teams.
xxxxxxxxx Education application/JFLL announcement xxxxxxx
Do not be afraid to anchor yourself with your new found power, and while security concerns are always wise to contemplate, there is much more to gain from remaining open to partnerships which can in turn open more doors for you. The final stanza of Black Uhuru’s ‘Solidarity’ puts it very well for us as we leave this victory and move on to conquer other heights together…
Look at me, I ain’t your enemy
We walk on common ground
We don’t need to fight each other
What we need, what we need…
Solidarity…Solidarity
Never give up on your dreams, keep moving, and keep building teams that can affirm you… because indeed, Together Each Achieves More.
Described as a roadmap to Jamaica’s prosperity, Vision 2030 projects the emergence of Jamaica as: THE PLACE OF CHOICE TO LIVE, WORK, RAISE FAMILIES AND DO BUSINESS.
YES, IT IS possible if we each embrace the vision and take steady steps in our lives every day towards self improvement and team building.
What do we need?
Solidarity!
