‘RISE-ing’ even higher

FOR nearly four decades, RISE Life Management has focused on equipping children, families and communities with the skills and support systems needed to build brighter futures. Today, that mission has gained renewed momentum through the partnership with Red Stripe’s Drink & Live Responsibly campaign and the D&G Foundation, combining behaviour-change education, community investment and decades of grassroots expertise to help thousands of Jamaicans make healthier choices before harmful behaviours take hold. RISE Life’s journey began in 1989 as Addiction Alert, the Caribbean’s first outpatient addiction treatment service.

As the organisation expanded its work across communities, it became clear that addiction was often only one part of a much broader social challenge. Programme Manager Shawn McGregor says that realisation transformed the organisation’s approach. “When we started going into communities, we realised people had much more than a drug problem.

If we wanted to change outcomes, we had to start much earlier,” said McGregor. That shift led to the organisation’s rebranding as RISE (Reaching Individuals through Skills and Education) Life Management Services in 2005. Since then, its work has expanded to include remedial education, parenting support, life skills training, workforce readiness and community development, all centred on the belief that early intervention creates stronger outcomes.

One of its most recognised initiatives, Project Stimulating Young Minds to Become Achievers (SYMBA), has provided literacy, numeracy and life skills support for hundreds of children across six communities. The programme also empowers parents to establish their own initiatives, including a community breakfast programme in Drewsland — an example of RISE’s philosophy that sustainable change happens when communities are equipped to lead their own development. That philosophy aligned with Red Stripe’s commitment to responsible decision-making.

Since 2023, RISE has partnered with Red Stripe’s Drink & Live Responsibly campaign and the D&G Foundation to help prevent underage drinking through engaging, age-appropriate education delivered in schools and communities. What began as interactive summer camps using music, games and drama has grown into classroom sessions, school assemblies and parenting workshops reaching more than 30,000 students across Jamaica.