The Jamaica Diaspora Mentorship Academy (JDMA) has wrapped up a successful pilot year with a virtual end-of-year celebration that brought together more than 140 participants from 14 countries. The event marked a milestone for the programme, which was officially launched during the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Montego Bay in June 2024.
A joint initiative of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the JDMA was created to bridge geographic divides through meaningful, one-on-one mentorship between Jamaican students and members of the global Diaspora.
Since its launch, the academy has matched over 80 students from all 14 parishes with Diaspora mentors based in North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Mentors represent a wide array of fields, including law, science, education, finance, and the arts. Monthly virtual sessions have focused on career guidance, goal setting, and resilience, operating under the slogan, “Jamaica Diaspora Empowers Tomorrow; One Mentee at a Time.”
JDMA Founder and Education Sector Leader for the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council, Dr. Sandra Colly-Durand, described the programme’s first year as a “transformative experience” for both mentors and mentees. Testimonials shared during the event highlighted its impact on students’ academic performance, confidence, and personal development.
A standout moment of the celebration was a performance by mentees from the Lister Mair Gilby School for the Deaf, reinforcing the academy’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility. The event also featured a ‘Vox Populi’ video capturing highlights from the JDMA’s soft launch and concluded with a vibrant ‘Pass-the-Mic’ musical segment set to “I Believe that Children are the Future”, edited by France-based mentor and singer, Nazila (aka Ms. KoKoa).
Dr. Colly-Durand thanked all stakeholders and issued a call to action. “We are still actively seeking mentors, sponsors for laptops and phone plans, and funding to sustain and scale this programme. If you believe in the transformative power of mentorship, now is the time to step forward,” she urged.
Looking ahead to its second academic year, the JDMA remains committed to nurturing academic excellence, global competence, and resilience among Jamaican youth—one relationship at a time.
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