SHARED VALUE, SO EVERYONE WINS
In Jamaica, giving at-risk youth the opportunity to be part of a new Marriott hotel development has proven beneficial to business stakeholders and local communities alike. With shared value in place, this arrangement has challenged business practices as usual and has resulted in a better social and financial return of investment for all. In addition, it ignites hope for otherwise unemployed at-risk youth, encouraging them to strive for a better future.
PHOTOS
ABOUT JAMAICA
Jamaica means ‘land of wood and water’ and is the third most populous English speaking country in the Americas after the US and Canada. Jamaica has a rich cultural and artistic life, and has had a strong influence on global music trends. Some critical impediments the country faces are crime and corruption, poor governance, high energy costs, skilled labor shortages, and a slow and dysfunctional government bureaucracy.
FACTS
- • Population: 2,950,210
- • 17% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- • The country has one of the largest debt-to-GDP ratios in the world at 130%
- • Youth unemployment (between 15 and 24 years old) is 34%.
- • Jamaica has the fourth of the world’s highest per capita levels of violent crime 52.1 murders per 100,000 people.
- • 25% of the population is aged between 12 and 24. A high proportion of this demographic are at-risk youth.