St Ann Festival Queen launches reading project

Something positive is happening in Parry Town, St Ann – a community long regarded as a hotspot on the police radar – and it is already drawing applause.

St Ann Festival Queen 2025, Deveta Dowling, launched a reading programme, Ready to Read, in Parry Town last Thursday. The initiative aims to help elevate literacy levels in the community, with the hope of generating positive spin-offs that will further support community development.

The programme will run for several weeks, twice weekly, and will focus on interactive literacy activities and guided reading sessions, among other engagements. Dowling’s reign as queen concludes this summer.

The idea for the programme was conceived several years ago when Dowling, then on summer break from the University of Technology (UTech), observed children in the community spending their holidays without constructive activities. She invited them into her yard.

“So, I gathered them in my yard and started to have some little classes and my mother was very supportive – she said she was the principal and I was the teacher,” Dowling explained.

After completing university, she entered the festival queen competition last year and decided to revive those informal classes in the form of Ready to Read.

“I wanted to create a platform to shine some positivity on my community because a lot of times people have negative things to say about Parry Town. I wanted to do something that would have an impact, so this project was launched.”

Dowling is hopeful that the programme will continue beyond its initial phase and long after her reign ends. This possibility appears promising, as Ian Bell, councillor for the Beecher Town division, which includes Parry Town, has supported Dowling throughout her tenure and also hopes the programme will become a permanent fixture.

“I think it’s a very good initiative for the community and I will be working closely with her on this programme because of how important I believe it is,” Bell told The Gleaner on Sunday.

“I would like to see if I can continue the initiative as the councillor for the area after her tenure is up. I want to appeal to parents to ensure that the children attend and pay special attention to this opportunity,” he added.

Meanwhile, police commander for St Ann, SSP Carlos Russell, has welcomed the positive move.

“It’s a reading programme and that in itself is something positive,” he told The Gleaner.

He added: “It will help the youngsters learn to read, and individuals who are more educated are less likely to become involved in criminal activities and have better opportunities for employment. I believe it’s a good programme and something I will encourage.”

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com