Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Human rights advocacy group, Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), is on an islandwide drive to recruit young people into the organisation to build a stronger youth base.

JFJ executive director, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, told The Gleaner that, with the recent appointment of a community educator, the drive had been seeing success so far.

"Part of that mandate is to help us to reach out to communities. The young people's communities are what we have already been reaching out to. Last year, we had a successful project where we discussed human rights issues to every first form student at Wolmer's High School," Dr. Gomes said.

She was among several JFJ members who were attending an evening of discussion on 'Balancing Justice with Vision and Command-ments' at the Day Plantation Restaurant in Montego Bay, St. James, last week.

Public education

Michael Lumsden, JFJ chairman said: "We want to attract young people into the organisation, and we intend to take our campaign into the schools. We intend to make our contact more robust and frequent. I would like to see JFJ go broader in terms of public education, getting into schools and communities because I believe that is how we will address some of the issues concerning people's understanding of the organisation and to expand it generally."