The idea of a marching band was developed as a result of a two-hour chat hosted by Voices of Youth to discuss how playing sports and music can help young people to succeed in school and play an active role in their communities and in their homes.

The St. Patrick’s Foundation has long held that the advancement of our young people and their ability to break the cycle of poverty can only be achieved if there is a holistic approach to ‘human development.

Thus, the All-Stars, a product of the St. Patrick’s Foundation was established in January 2002 amidst the challenging economic realities of Kingston’s inner city community; Seaview Gardens. The project was originally intended solely to provide an artistic outlet for low-income youth in the Kingston neighborhood of Seaview Gardens and adjoining communities.  However, the success of the All Stars, both artistically and financially, has prompted their Director, Fabian Brown, to assess the viability of the All Stars as a self-sustaining entity. 

The management of the All Stars Band comprises several officers with both musical and philanthropic backgrounds.  Mr. Brown serves as Director of the band, overseeing its direction both artistically and financially.  He has over ten years experience in youth education and conflict resolution through performing arts.  Steven Henry serves as the operations officer coordinating the day to day operations of the All Stars.  He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the performing arts field and also  serves as the band’s drum major. 

The activities of the band are carefully chosen to ensure that it meets the needs of each of its members whose ages vary between ages 9 through to 30, and, most importantly, to ensure that each of its members are geared towards individual success.  The combination of drama, creative dance, instrumental pieces and poetry are activities undertaken by the All Stars.

The St. Patrick’s All-Stars seeks to further develop the potential of youths in the areas of music, instruments and dance while at the same time seeking to educate youths through debates, rap sessions, quizzes and exposure to national landmarks. It serves as a unifying force of the community and its environs, not only by empowering and educating youth, but through various community services.

The St. Patrick’s Foundation All-Stars creates a safe haven for its beneficiaries. This “oasis” amidst the happenings within our surroundings creates for each member a path away from crime and violence but beyond the boundaries predetermined for them by our society. 

In achieving its goals, the project has worked to promote leadership and community involvement as a major avenue through which self-esteem may be enriched as a guiding principle in the minds of the young.  The program involves music and dance format using a traditional marching band model, which has been a common feature in low-income communities in Jamaica and has proven a viable means of rallying community support.  The marching band has been integrated into the social tapestry of many Jamaican communities and plays a vital role in aspects of the day-to-day social maintenance within the communities of Seaview Gardens, Riverton, and Callaloo Mews, to name a few; providing valuable services such as:

1.    Street processions for funerals and other major community events
2.    Musical accompaniment for community games and sports
3.    Street parades on national holidays



St. Patrick’s Rangers

The project began on October 26, 2009, and will run until December 2010 under the auspices of its current funders, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Its primary aim is to increase the community’s awareness of disasters and the response capacity of vulnerable populations of inner-city Kingston in the event of disasters.  The communities of Waterhouse, Riverton City, Seaview Gardens, Olympic Gardens and Calalloo Mews have been selected.  The majority of the houses in these communities are in disrepair and ill-equipped to withstand hurricanes or other natural disasters.
 
These neighborhoods have been identified as at risk due to blocked drains, poor infrastructure and some residents’ limited knowledge about disaster preparedness.  The effects of hurricane Dean and some of the lessons learnt created the impetus to engage in this project.  Its approach is designed to reduce infrastructural damage and fatalities when these communities are affected by disasters.  Risk reduction will also be achieved by building community awareness.
 
The general director of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has called on all Jamaicans to be involved in disaster management. Therefore, the project will focus on the youth in the named communities as an innovative way to prepare vulnerable communities for disaster.   Three youth committees have been established.  They have formed Youth Emergency Action Committees (YEACs), and have been named the St. Patrick’s Rangers.  The organization will seek to empower the youth in disaster preparedness and mitigation.  It will leverage the ongoing work that the St. Patrick’s Foundation has done with unattached youth by engaging them in purposeful activities and providing useful skills training and an opportunity to network outside their community.

Over the next twelve months they will be taken on three training camps in order to gain various skills and certifications, as the project aims to train these persons on responses to natural disasters and emergency preparedness concepts.  These and other exercises will serve to build community unity among participants, as well as help meet the project’s aims.  The Rangers will be charged with increasing community awareness through community activities and edutainment exercises on the streets in their communities, in local schools, churches and community organizations. They will also assist in achieving the project's other aims.  These are:
 
1.    Repairing or rebuilding some of the must vulnerable homes identified in the chosen communities.
 
2.    Organizing - and at least part funding - the cleaning of gullies and drains.
 
Establishing the YEACs was the project’s first stage.  These were officially commissioned at a Commemorative Service at the Catholic church on the grounds of the Christ the Redeemer Human Resource Centre, Seaview Gardens, on November 26th 2009 at 4:00 p.m., ahead of a press launch and fair later in the project’s calendar.
 
By far the greatest benefit that the project has brought to the communities has been its ability to divert a-risk youth from crime and build bridges between divided communities.  The Rangers have been crossing community borders that they previously would not have done due to various dynamics in Jamaica’s inner-city communities.  Projects like these are indeed essential to creating the type of chemistry required to break the endless cycle of violence and negativity that emerges from some of the areas in which we work, and that repeatedly transcends to the youth. 

I invite all interested to become a friend of the St. Patrick’s Rangers and sincerely hope that we will have your support and prayer as this project is carried forward.