By exploring the history and culture of the Jamaican Maroons, we seek to educate and uplift the youth of our communities by learning about our true history so we can learn, grow and be empowered from it.
Our After School Culture Program, the annual Maroon Youth Culture Camp and the Maroon Memory Bank have been developed to address themes of History Education and Classrooms and Heritage Education and Everyday Lives. An intergenerational project, we work with the elders and youth of our communities to develop and implement spaces and activities where we can teach, talk and learn about our history and our present in order to support and prepare our youth for their futures. This work engages hundreds of young Maroons in educative activities based in culture and heritage where we use storytelling, music, and project-based learning activities to engage young people in active exercises to learn and grow from our violent past.
Main aims:
To address and educate young people about our Maroon history:
- Our ancestors being captured and brought to Jamaica as slaves and their escape and fight for freedom,
- The importance of preserving our history, especially as told by our Elders today,
- The need of keeping our culture active and alive in all aspects of our daily lives.
Main outcomes:
- Increased knowledge, understanding and pride about our Maroon history and culture.
- For all Maroons living in Cockpit County, St. Elizabeth to benefit from this project
Our key deliverables:
- The implementation of a weekly Maroon Youth Culture Program (after school),
- The creation of a Maroon Memory Bank, and
- The successful implementation of the Maroon Youth Culture Camp 2022.
We partner with Chief Richard Currie and his executive council and the Young Lives Research Lab (York University, Canada) to achieve the goals and objectives of this project
“What a thrill it is to work alongside these creative and energetic young people as they design transformative education with/by/for their own community. We have been learning a great deal in our work to support and amplify their path-breaking work”
Dr. Kate Tilleczek, Director Young Lives Research Lab, York University
Meet the team:
Results
Learn more about the project
News/BlogsBlogJAM: The Accompong Maroon Youth Culture Camp & Memory Bank “for the born and the unborn”.
“We, the Maroons of Jamaica, have a deep and powerful history that began with the capture and enslavement of our African ancestors more than 300 years…
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