On April 16, as residents of August Town wandered through the space they were viewing for the first time, they realised that a new era was dawning in their community. Soon they knew its name: 'The Source'. And as they enquired about the services and facilities it was created to provide, they began to realise they had entered a new world of possibilities, and that 'The Source' - or, to give it its full name, The Source Community Resource Centre by Jamaica National - was the beginning of a new future for a community long plagued by poverty, crime and isolation.

Yet what makes The Source special is not just its menu of services and facilities but the environment in which these are provided. The space is outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, specially designed furniture, comfort zones for relaxing, 'chilling', and even some touches of whimsy (the bathroom, e.g., sports yellow and red polka dots running from floor to ceiling).

Social enterprise

As for overcoming the age-old problem of sustainability, the solution was to develop The Source as a social enterprise, a for-profit community business with not-for-profit aims. This means that some of the services, e.g., Internet access and meeting room rental, are provided at a fee. It also means that the mechanisms used to run a business are core to the running of The Source. The benefit for local people is that they are treated like customers and provided with high quality service and support.

At the beginning of the programme, JNBS conducted a number of community consultations to determine what the August Town community needed. As a result of the findings,JNBS developed partnerships with the UWI Township Project to deliver job placement services; with the Jamaica Business Development Centre to develop a business information centre; and with Jamaica National Small Business Loans to develop a loans programme for local businesses and entrepreneurs.

The creativity of this programme meant that other private sector companies were excited about being involved. As a result, it attracted contributions from Management Control Systems, Guardsman Group of Companies, Cable and Wireless, National Outdoor Advertising and Stationery and Office Supplies. With their support and involvement, The Source was able to provide that much more for the community.

The Source in August Town has thus far been a tremendous success, and JNBS has announced it is looking forward to partnering with others to replicate it in other communities, both in and beyond Kingston.

To visit The Source personally, or conduct a field trip for your school or organisation, call The Source at 876-977-9667.