A groundbreaking intergenerational program launches Thursday in St. Ann, Jamaica, creating meaningful connections between students and centenarians through the power of storytelling. The Centenarian Storytelling Initiative, hosted at Bamboo Blu in Mammee Bay, represents a innovative approach to preserving living history while fostering cross-generational understanding.
Under the broader Custos Commando community development program led by Joseph Issa, Custos of St. Ann, this project strategically pairs students with individuals aged 100 years and older. Participants will engage directly with these remarkable elders through both in-person and virtual interactions, capturing their life experiences through various documentation methods including essays, multimedia presentations, video recordings, and creative storytelling formats.
The initiative serves multiple purposes: preserving invaluable oral histories that might otherwise be lost, developing students’ communication and documentation abilities, promoting empathy across generations, and recognizing the contributions of senior community members. Custos Issa emphasizes that the program highlights “the many legends within the parish or linked with the parish of St. Ann, to learn from their experience and to award them.”
A dedicated team including Cieanna Smith, Courtney McIntosh, LeVar Allen, Jodi-Ann Pryce, and Antonia Armstrong leads the project implementation. The program welcomes invited guests, educators, students, and community members to participate in this unique cultural preservation effort.
This storytelling initiative forms part of a comprehensive community development strategy that includes additional programs such as Jacob’s Ladder, Mammee Bay Fish Sanctuary, Squatter Regularisation, and a Justice of the Peace Mentorship Initiative. According to Issa, these collaborative efforts aim to “effectively enhance the parish and its development, adding value to the lives of the citizens” while demonstrating “amazing progress” in improving living standards throughout St. Ann.