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The Benevolent Society’s thinking and beliefs for a just and fair Jamaican Society. A Regulator’s Perspectives and Role. Mrs. Lavern Eccleston Registrar Actg. July 18, 2012 Ocho Rios , Jamaica. Introduction & core concepts .
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The Benevolent Society’s thinking and beliefs for a just and fair Jamaican Society.A Regulator’s Perspectives and Role Mrs. Lavern Eccleston Registrar Actg. July 18, 2012 Ocho Rios , Jamaica
Introduction & core concepts • The purpose of this position paper is to set down The Benevolent Society’s core concepts and beliefs about a just and fair Jamaican society and to offer some insights into the Regulator‘s perspectives, roles and challenges faced in ensuring the effectiveness of these Societies in offering solutions to some of the social and economic imbalances in Jamaica‘s inner communities. Framing these beliefs helps the Benevolent Society to build firm foundations for their work, by directing their focus to the most important social issues for Jamaica, and helping them to make decisions regarding their priorities for research, advocacy and registration of groups as Benevolent Societies.
Introduction & core concepts • Benevolent Societies seek to determine how best to achieve enhanced economic and social wellbeing for our nation and its entire people, especially those at greatest risk. The question that I wish to pose for the Development Arm of the Department is this, what is the Department’s role for these Societies in contributing to the broad objective of government in “making Jamaica a place of choice to live, work, raise family and do business.”?
Cumulative Disadvantage and Social Exclusion: • There are a number of social, economic, environmental and structural factors that affect the lives of individuals and their communities. • These factors often overlap and have multiplier effects, so that those living in disadvantaged communities can experience the cumulative effects of social exclusion throughout their lives. • Both locational disadvantage, i.e. where disadvantage is concentrated in certain areas, and intergenerational disadvantage, are of growing concern in Jamaica.
Cumulative Disadvantage and Social Exclusion: • As The Benevolent Society works with people, young and older, they have opportunities to both understand the impact of disadvantage as it is lived and experienced throughout the life-cycle, and to work to find ways of overcoming it. • A Benevolent Society can also work to breakdown the conditions that enable poverty and disadvantage, to become entrenched within certain communities, more in the so called garrison communities and their families over time.
The Social and Economic Divide: • In recent years Jamaicans have experienced significant changes in the way we live due to the global economy, technology and social shifts. These changes are impacting significantly across populations and communities with increased affluence and material wealth for many in Jamaica. Whilst living standards for all income groups in Jamaica have risen, those already well off have reaped the greatest share of those gains. The wealthiest 10% of Jamaican families own 45-55% of household wealth, while the bottom 50% own only 10% of this wealth. There remains an unacceptable imbalance in terms of wealth, income and opportunities within our society. This weakens the social fabric within society and causes increased stress for those at the margins.
The Social and Economic Divide: • The World Health Organization has found that people living in poverty are two times more likely to experience serious illness or die prematurely than those who are wealthier. • Clearly this gulf between the living standards of Jamaica’s wealthiest and poorest citizens is of great concern. Today there is a much richer understanding that the prosperity of a nation and its People cannot simply be measured in terms of economic growth or more precisely increasing living standards as measured by increases in per capita GDP.
The Social and Economic Divide: • It is important to examine the overall wellbeing of people and the nation state. Wellbeing is in part reliant on access to economic resources and to secure income. It also includes factors such as the quality of housing, one’s level of health, the ability to have some control of one’s own life anddestiny and level of engagement with others. Wellbeing is also affected by the environment in which we live. The inability to fully participate in the economic and social aspects of society reduces one wellbeing.
The Social and Economic Divide: • Studies have shown that people living in more equal societies live longer than those in less equal societies, so community wellbeing contributes to personal wellbeing and longevity. This inclusive approach to public good reaps social, economic and environmental benefits and reduces consequent costs to communities, will provide less drain on the scare resources of the Government.
Individuals in Context: • It is important to understand that the ecological framework of human development is a useful model for understanding the dynamics, as it shows how individuals, families and communities are subject to complex interactions at different levels of an ecological system. • This framework demonstrates how individuals are profoundly affected by both direct relations with others, by decisions and interactions in their local communities as well as by decisions at the societal level through institutions and other structures which drive the distribution of resources and people’s access to them.
Individuals in Context: • The ecological framework of human development places the individual in the context of their family, neighbourhood, community and broad social environment. It provides a complex holistic context through which to explain the life-cycle of an individual and the many impacts and influences on their life. • This provides a framework for understanding the individual in the real context of their social world and can encompass: children, parents, caregivers and family; extended family, friends and peers; neighbourhoods, community, community organisations; workplaces and economic organisations; institutions like Parliament, the legal system, police; and cultural contexts and influence. Community and institutions, schools etc Broad social, cultural, economic environment, Ecological framework, Individual Neighbourhood, extended family, networks, Family.
Individuals in Context: • From a Regulators perspective we believe and have a vision for theses societies : i.eBenevolent Societies seek to enhance the economic and social wellbeing of people through the promotion of inclusive communities. In turn this creates the foundations for a prosperous and inclusive society which values fairness, and justice.
Individuals in Context: • It against the backdrop of this broad vision and belief that we strongly believe that there has to be a balance between Regulatory Compliance or statutory requirements for Benevolent Societies in order for them to remain as a registered entity and a vehicle of change in communities across Jamaica, in the post registration period.
The Benevolent Societies In Action : • Benevolent Societies’ contributions to a fair and just society involves using their resources to work for change with individuals throughout their lives, and their influence to raise awareness and advocate for change at both the community and societal levels. In these ways The Benevolent Societies seek to overcome economic and social exclusion in Jamaica and create a more just and fair society. I define a ‘fair society’ as one in which all members, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, wealth, status, appearance or ability have equitable access to social, economic and political resources.
The Benevolent Societies In Action : Working in partnership • The big social, economic, environmental and structural factors affecting communities are arguably the hardest to tackle. Alone, The Benevolent Societies have little control over major policy initiatives and decisions. • One of the modalities being used by Benevolent Societies to tackle the big ticket items affecting the most disadvantaged Jamaicans, such as inequalities in access to health services, education, income, housing and access to transport, is to work in partnership with others, such as the JSIF, REDI, LIFE, CSJP, AND EFJ who are either calling for a fairer Jamaica or is mandated to work for social inclusiveness and to correct the inequalities in communities. • These Societies collaborate with other non-government organisations, government, as well as working with those in the corporate sector who embrace a sustainable agenda for enhancing the economic and social wellbeing of all Jamaicans, especially those most vulnerable or at risk.
The Regulator’s Role: • It would appear that there needs to be a compendium of changes on both sides (Department and Societies) to effectively regulate these societies, so as to create persistent benevolent activities during the post registration period. • The Friendly Societies Act is silent on finer details of what exactly is a Benevolent Society? Section 3 (1) (b) gives us some very broad answers, that they are Societies for “any benevolent or charitable purpose.” I would like to extend the definition a little further by suggesting that “Benevolent Societies are community based entities desirous of helping others for some benefit, rather than profit and doing some good by executing persistent benevolent or charitable actions”.
