“He emerged like a shadow as we stepped outside. In a breath, he ordered us to turn our backs to him and I felt the cold nozzle of his 9mm press into my neck. I began to pray silently when he announced that he was going to kill my bumboclaat and order us into the house.”
This was just one of the many times that the plague of crime in Jamaica impacted the life of Alicia Nicholson, a banker, and budding entrepreneur. Hailing from the parish of St. Andrew, like most of us, Alicia has lived her entire life on the beautiful island of Jamaica.
Regardless of the country being listed as one of the world’s most dangerous countries, Alicia is in love with the country, its people, and what it has to offer. In love with nature, she enjoys being amongst the greenery the country has to offer. She feels as though there is a lot to be thankful for as a Jamaican. She has a gentle personality and enjoys having fun with her close friends as much as possible. Alicia greatly values her peace of mind and likes to feel secure in her environment.
As a result, the constant acts of senseless violence throughout the country worries her and often impede her ability to enjoy her time with her friends. It seems unbelievable to her that she cannot live peacefully in the country of her birth and that this monster known as crime, has robbed her and her country of so much.
She applauds the government in their implementation of the first Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) in Mt. Salem, St James in 2017. She was particularly pleased because it had an extended program for youth development. However, while the program succeeded in bringing many criminals to justice and brought an end to many drug rings and illegal importations, there have been concerns that the operation had been compromised by the familiarity that has developed between the residence and the officers.
Alicia shares these concerns as well. Being a deeply empathic individual who values family and friendships, the frequency of her experiences with crime has led her to believe that the programs being implemented by the government have not been as effective as they should have been in curbing the growth of crime in the country.
Her theory is that they have been taking the wrong approach. She feels they have been attacking the issue, ‘leaves before root’, and so the crime rates continue to rise. She agrees that the program did succeed to some extent, putting an end to some of the unsavory activities of the community of Mount Salem.
However, according to Alicia, “the government is failing because they have not been involving the community enough in the change or providing enough alternatives for the youth of violent communities.”
This is crucial as she stands firm by the adage, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
Personally, Alicia believes in assisting in any way she can, as long as it is in a safe environment, and as such, she has taken the initiative at times to speak to younger persons and help them to find alternatives to crime.
However, she has found there aren’t many media that facilitate the safe assistance of people who want assistance. The ones that she has come across are not as effectively promoted or accessible. It is this lack of accessibility she believes, that drives the youth of Jamaica to a life of crime. Unfortunately, gangs in most communities seem more accessible than helpful programs and opportunities.
Having worked in banking for 15 years, Alicia values companies that provide a safe space for regular citizens like her to give back and help the community. It is with this in mind that she praises companies like her previous employer, Grace Kennedy, that implemented a parenting program, Parents of Inner-City Kids (PICK).
The program comprised of values and attitudes workshops that assisted young parents with raising kids. in addition, it provided a forum when parents of inner-city kids could meet and discuss ways to implement programs that would help combat social issues affecting their communities. While observing the effects of this program it became clearer to her the value of good parenting and it is now her dream that a National Parenting Program be implemented in Jamaica.
It is Alicia’s belief that if principles regarding the value of work can be passed on to children living in harsh conditions by their parents, they stand a better chance of choosing the path away from crime.
Alicia is hopeful that with her Internship at Live Well Jamaica she will be able to bring publicity to programs such as these that can help youth from various communities gain access to information that can help them make better decisions in life. She hopes that with greater publicity she will be able to contribute to helping Jamaica to become as safe as it is beautiful thus making it a home to be desired.
