Monthly Report: April 2021 - Positive Pathways Activity

The initiative began in 2021 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program's primary focus is on supporting local activities that connect youth, parents, and caregivers to violence prevention initiatives and highlight community peace and resilience building assets. In April 2021, Positive Pathways staff conducted listening sessions with policymakers, civil society experts, and youth to gather input for the Peace and Youth Development (PYD) curriculum design. The 12-hour virtual integrated training course is scheduled to start on June 1. Staff also met with various stakeholders, including CUSO International, the Ministry of National Security (MNS), and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), to explore potential partnerships and collaborations. The program's training and grants component launched the six-part Social Behavior Change (SBS) Training on April 20. The training aims to introduce SBS concepts and motivate violence prevention practitioners to integrate them into their work. Positive Pathways also released its first Request for Applications (RFA) to fund community peacebuilding grants in target communities. The grants are intended to support local activities that promote violence prevention and community peacebuilding. In terms of personnel, Program Officer Brian Hutchinson joined the team on April 16. The Positive Pathways Jamaica and DI Program Management Unit staff completed the four-part Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations, and Teamwork workshops on April 8. Six new staff positions were advertised in local newspapers on April 18. The Activity's bank account was opened in late April, but it is currently on hold pending additional references requested by the bank. Despite some challenges, Positive Pathways achieved several milestones in April, including the start of the SBS training and the launch of the Community Peacebuilding Grants RFA. The program also encountered some issues, including administrative delays and COVID-19 restrictions that interfered with staff's ability to conduct community visits. The Jamaican government's COVID restrictions continue to impact the program's activities, and government responses to requests have been delayed. For the upcoming month, Positive Pathways anticipates initiating the gender analysis literature review and rapid community beneficiary assessments. The program also plans to meet with the Office of the Prime Minister's National Commission on Violence Prevention team to discuss sharing findings from the stocktaking exercise. Additionally, the program aims to complete the SBS Practitioners Training, launch the SBS RFA, and SBS infographic, as well as hire consultants and launch the community baseline assessment.