Chairman’s Report on activity 2011 - 2012:

Much of the activity this year has been around developing “Widening Horizons” school partnerships between Jamaica and UK, working with DfID and British Council and Jamaican Ministry of Education Regions, supported by Learning Links International. This was selected to be our Jamaica 50th Anniversary project. Links have been made initially between UK schools in Wolverhampton, Birmingham and North Wales with schools in four of the Education Regions of Jamaica.

Following a visit to Jamaica in June 2011 a successful application under the Global Schools Partnership LA Links was made to enable a team of 3 from Jamaican Region 5 to be hosted by Birmingham schools in Nov 2011, with a return visit of 3 from the Birmingham Schools project to visit schools in Region 5, which is the Mandeville area. Progress with Wolverhampton / Hanover (Region 4) links has continued, also with support for Wolverhampton  / Kingston (Region 1) links, however links with Region 6 and North Wales proved slower to establish.

Jamaica 2000 has continued to develop the “Rastafari Heritage” project to carry on raising awareness following the HLF project to research “Rastafari: Roots and Development in the West Midlands” see www.rastafariwestmidlands.co.uk During the year contact was made with the National Trust property at Dunham Massey where Haile Selassie stayed to support a celebration event.

Linking with Jamaican Professionals and Artistes, including Yasus Afari, has continued on a range of new developments including: promotion of school workshops on Jamaica with poetry, language and culture. Jamaica 2000 was able to raise the profile of our activities through supporting Yasus Afari’s “POMEDY SHOW”.

Contacts have also been maintained with Prof Fred Hickling relating to raising awareness about Mental Health issues relating to culture and heritage, working with Learning Links International,

During the year “J2K Enterprise and Training” has also developed a wider range of activity:

• Facilitating two event for the National Mentoring Programme at the Drum, Birmingham and SADACCA in Sheffield
• Providing specialist consultancy and support in relation to online education programming
• Gaining a licence agreement to deliver a range of accredited courses in association with Starlight Education
• Organising and managing a Family Fun Day for Black History Month - hosting Jamaican High Commissioner’s 2011 visit to Wolverhampton for the day
• Providing training and mentoring for young people
• Facilitating establishment of Wolverhampton Black Business Network

Thanks go to all the Jamaica 2K Trustees and especially our Executive Secretary, Liz Millman, who has continued to be the driving force in maintaining our focus on education links, Jamaican language and heritage research.

However finally, sincere thanks go for the Patronage of our organisation to the past Jamaican High Commissioners in the UK, including the Hon. Anthony Johnson, who in his position as Patron of Jamaica 2000 has taken such an active interest in our work and our good wishes go to him as he returns to Jamaica.

Stephen Brooks (Chair)    sbrooksaui@yahoo.co.uk

Treasurer’s Report 2010 - 2011

This year saw a range of activity and another successful application to the British Council Global Schools Partnership to support links between Birmingham schools and schools in Region 5 Jamaica.

Liz Millman (Acting Treasurer 2010 – 2011)