Red Stripe leaves no man or mind behind

Impacting Jamaica

The lives of some 7,500 students and their families across Jamaica are being impacted by Red Stripe’s No Mind Left Behind project. The goal of the project is to “foster academic excellence and personal development for youth, specifically focusing on young people, ages three to eighteen,” said Red Stripe’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Dianne Ashton-Smith. The beer company, through its Desnoes & Geddes Foundation, provides this support through “increased access to educational tools, social interventions and experiential activities or excursions where possible,” Ashton-Smith pointed out. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Corporate Affairs Head noted that the Foundation recognized that there was a pressing need in the education sector brought about because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She pointed to learning loss and the heightened risk of student disengagement, particularly, for the most vulnerable, which can have long-lasting effects on their life outcomes, and their future economic growth and wellbeing, as major concerns. Impacting Jamaica’s host Shelly-Ann Harris also speaks with Guidance Counsellor at the Academy of Yallahs High School, Sheldon Howell, who gives first-hand knowledge of just how this project is changing lives.