UWI to observe International Men's Day

On Monday, November 19, between 2 and 4 p.m. the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS), Mona Unit, and the UWI Gender Society will host a public forum to celebrate International Men's Day (IMD), inside the Old Dramatic Theatre.

Under the theme 'The Road to Success: Story of a Positive Male Role Model', the guest speaker, Dr Ransford Davidson, business development and relationship manager at Jamaica National Bank, will share his "journey of overcoming personal challenges to build a successful career in banking and finance".

"We hope that his story will inspire and encourage students, most of who face major financial and other challenges, and are uncertain about career choices. We hope that his message will resonate especially with our male students who are only 30 per cent of our tertiary education population," Dr Leith Dunn, University of the West Indies senior lecturer, and head of the IGDS said.

SPECIAL IMPORTANCE

She also said, "This year's event is especially important, as it coincides with the UWI's 70th anniversary, the IGDS' 25th anniversary and the first year of implementing the UWI Gender Policy which promotes gender equality and empowerment for all."

The IGDS at Mona is a degree-granting unit, which "is developing a UWI Gender Policy to promote gender equality in the institution's policies programmes and strategies". It partners with "local, regional and international institutions to enable the IGDS units to impact sustainable development goals".

The Institute is a well-established multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary department in which people are being trained to meet the growing demand for gender analysts in different sectors and institutions. It has been celebrating IMD for the past seven years on the Mona campus, and Jamaica is one of 36 countries that celebrate this important UN event, initiated by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh of Trinidad and Tobago in 1999.

On the IMD website, the organisers say, "On November 19 International Men's Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. We highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men's well-being."