A new community-led literacy initiative aimed at improving reading skills and empowering residents was officially launched in St. Thomas on Saturday with the inaugural St. Thomas Literacy Forum at the Anglican Church Hall in Morant Bay.
Held under the theme “Awareness, Interest and Results (AIR),” the forum is the first phase of a three-part programme created by St. Thomas native and Jamaican diaspora member Cleous Young, who has lived in the United States for more than three decades.
Young said the initiative is designed to promote a culture of literacy while creating opportunities for personal growth and long-term community development.
He explained that the programme will begin by raising awareness, followed by encouraging investment and participation before ultimately focusing on measurable results.
According to Young, the project fulfills a vision he has carried for nearly 20 years to make a lasting contribution to his hometown beyond the traditional support often provided by members of the diaspora.
Rather than simply sending money or supplies back home, he said he wanted to establish an initiative that would create sustainable change within the parish.
The programme gained momentum after Young met St. Thomas resident Deandra Grant in October 2025. Grant shared her dream of becoming a social worker while establishing a literacy programme to help her community. Inspired by her vision, Young launched the project and now serves as her mentor.
Addressing attendees, Young stressed that literacy goes far beyond reading and writing.
He described literacy as a pathway to critical thinking, personal development and better life outcomes, encouraging participants to understand the connection between what they read, how they think and the decisions they make.
The forum also featured presentations by several community leaders, including attorney-at-law Bertram Anderson on “The Cost of Literacy,” historian Earl Graham on “The History of Fighting for Literacy,” and literary specialist Ann-Marie Lewis on “Why Literacy Matters.”
The event also included interactive discussions and cultural performances by the Panthers In Motion Dance Team and Morant Bay Primary School Dancers.
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