BIGGA Gives $500,000 to Strengthen Peace Ambassadors Programme at Kingston High

Peace and Love in Schools (PALS) has received a $500,000 contribution from BIGGA to keep its Peace Ambassadors Programme going at Kingston High School, where the organisation is working to reinforce conflict-resolution efforts on campus and develop an approach that could later be used in other schools.

The funding will pay for the continued involvement of a certified PALS trainer after the initial training stage has ended. That support is expected to help Kingston High maintain the programme, prepare more student peace ambassadors, and build enough in-house strength for the initiative to become part of the school's everyday culture.

Janilee Abrikian, general manager of PALS, said the donation helps to close one of the biggest weaknesses in school intervention work, which is what happens after formal training begins. “This donation is timely and extremely necessary, because many times, when we receive funding, it is for a defined period, and then we are not able to follow up in the way schools need,” Abrikian said.

She said schools still require help once the first phase is completed, and noted that the new funding will allow PALS to return to Kingston High, assess how the programme is progressing, support the trainer, and assist the school in building the capacity to keep the Peace Ambassadors Programme alive over time. Abrikian added that the initiative matters because it prepares students to serve as constructive peer leaders. “Peace ambassadors are trained to help their peers work through conflict, but that is not something that happens overnight; it requires guidance, practice, and continued support. This donation helps us to provide that follow-up support, train new batches of students, and move the programme closer to sustainability,” she said.

Tiffany Simmonds, brand manager at BIGGA, said the company decided to back the effort as part of its commitment to young people and to programmes that can help create safer spaces in schools. “BIGGA is pleased to support PALS and the work being done through the Peace Ambassadors Programme,” Simmonds said. She said that, as a Jamaican brand, BIGGA sees value in supporting initiatives that help students build life skills, handle conflict in more suitable ways, and make a positive contribution to their school communities.

Simmonds also said the partnership fits with BIGGA's broader focus on initiatives that can deliver practical and lasting results. “This donation supports a programme that is helping young people learn how to respond to conflict differently. We are happy to play a part in strengthening that work at Kingston High School and in supporting a model that can benefit other schools in the future,” she said.

PALS has been working in Jamaica for 32 years. Its areas of focus include conflict resolution, alternatives to violence, behaviour modification, peer mediation, anger management, problem-solving and emotional intelligence. The organisation works with both primary and secondary schools, training teachers and students to handle disputes better and encourage more peaceful learning environments.