O'Neil St. Aubyn Simpson

Education - Jamaica (Caribbean, Mexico and Central America)

O’Neil Simpson comes from a land of contrasts. A lush and beautiful island, Jamaica also boasts political stability, abundant mineral resources, and a rich culture. However, the island is also blighted by widespread poverty, alarming rates of HIV/AIDS infection, and lawlessness which has given it one of the world's highest murder rates and threatens to jeopardise its tourism industry, the main foreign exchange earner.

O’Neil believes that, “the government has largely failed to address these mounting problems and therefore local iniatives are becoming increasingly necessary to deal with this frightening reality”. He attributes many of Jamaica’s social ills to steadily falling literacy levels in schools over the last five years, which has left many young people without the necessary skills and motivation to make a positive contribution to society. A successful postgraduate student himself, O’Neil recognises the value of education and, through his university, has become involved in social work and outreach programmes in the local community.

With the support of OIYP2004, O’Neil plans to tackle this issue by establishing a literacy programme in his own rural community. As well as emphasising the importance of literacy skills, the initiative will also instill in students a general appreciation and understanding of the world around them and the burning social issues that affect their daily lives.