Acting with Passion and Purpose
Helping others find their way often helps you see your own path more clearly
Alphie Aiken learned firsthand that one person’s actions could make a huge difference in the world. She started out with what she thought might be a far-fetched idea, but made the seemingly impossible possible and surprised
even herself.
In 2009, Alphie launched a new Junior Achievement operation in Jamaica and currently serves as its executive director. Along with JA colleagues, Alphie is helping young people in Jamaica find employment, develop self-sufficiency and contribute to their community.
How did this come about? Encouraged by GE’s corporate philosophy of volunteerism, Alphie and a team of GE employee-volunteers went to Jamaica in 2008 to paint and repair schools. “As we worked, I thought, ‘Why don’t we do more—paint minds instead of schools, create something that will never fade and will remain with the students forever?” said Alphie.
Inspired, she took charge, spearheading a feasibility study, fundraising and organizing to bring JA’s benefits to Jamaica’s children to help them secure a better economic future. She found that the island’s economy had the lowest economic growth rate in Latin America. It suffered from a sizable national debt and trade deficit, and unemployment was at 11 percent, with 50 percent of the unemployed in the 14-25 age group. Underemployment also was a problem, with 65 percent of existing jobs on the lower end of the service/tourism pay scale. Crime and gang violence fueled by the drug trade was escalating. The dropout rate was increasing, and 25 percent of students graduating from primary school were functionally illiterate.
“Students need to see the benefits of staying in school—of laying stepping-stones to a better life,” said Alphie, who was born in Jamaica but moved at age eight to the United States. “We need to inspire them to be self-reliant, make their own life decisions, and become effective entrepreneurs and employees.”
“The Jamaican mindset is that of entrepreneurship—of coming up with ideas for businesses. What is lacking is the business-management skill to make new enterprises operational and sustainable,” she added. “And that is where Junior Achievement comes in. The value of the JA curriculum is exceptional, and the role-model aspect of the JA experience is fantastic in that students can learn from volunteers firsthand what can be accomplished.”
Currently, Jamaica’s Ministry of Education is working with Junior Achievement to implement programs in all schools and has provided JA Jamaica with office space. The first phase is to build a foundation of mass engagement to get JA curriculum into schools in Kingston and then branch out to the other parishes.
Alphie finds inspiration in “giving back” on more than one level. She’s invested in the concept of volunteerism throughout the world. But she also says she feels personally blessed to be able to bring intellectual resources to the land of her birth. “The history of Jamaica has been that of ‘brain drain,’” she explained. “The best and brightest, the most educated, have left the island for opportunities elsewhere. To be part of a collective effort to establish educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in Jamaica is especially rewarding.”
Alphie currently is on sabbatical from her job as a digital solutions manager at GE Consumer & Industrial in Hartford, Connecticut, to focus on building a better tomorrow for Jamaica’s children. “It is an honor to participate in bringing skills and hope to these remarkable young people,” she said.
Making Dreams Come True
Alphie Aiken is the executive director of the newly launched JA Jamaica operation. With the help of JA volunteers, she brings hope in the form of economic education to local students.
