MORE than 100 residents from the Pine, St Michael, have received certificates and pledged to join the new St Michael South East (SMSE) Community Elders Mentorship Programme, to become mentors to the youth in the area.

The programme was launched Sunday evening at Parkinson Memorial Secondary School, the Pine, St Michael, spearheaded by the MP for the area, Hamilton Lashley, and presented through his Office of the Advisor on Poverty Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals.

"This is a way to mobilise the youth and work towards a redevelopment process," said Lashley, who warned that it was not a political programme but a community initiative.

"What this community programme does is enhance and entrench the community practitioners in the Pine area, where all the elderly can play a significant and serious role that will change some of the negative views perceived of our community and also add value to the lives of our young people," he said.

Lashley said he was heartened by the turnout of those who had committed to the initiative which included community pioneer Delores "Ma" Worrell; local cricketer Errol Boyce; founder of the Pinelands Creative Workshop, Rodney Grant, and Magistrate Robert Simmons. (TM)