Reggae Auction 2018 partners include Lieutenant Stitchie, tmrw.tday Culture Fest, Yellowman, Astro Salter, Altamont Court Hotel, Hotel Mockingbird Hill, Maria, Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, Round Hill Resort, Miss Lily’s Restaurant, VIP Attractions, Club Mobay, Club Kingston, Pegasus Hotel, Alpha Institute, Bob Marley Museum, Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse, Freestylee: Artist Without Borders… and more to be added!
The 2nd Annual International Reggae Auction is now on! From February 1 through February 28, 2018 and hosted by Alpha Boys School Radio, the Reggae Auction gathers support for Kingston’s inner-city youth in need of employment training while celebrating the reggae music and culture (including Alpha’s amazing role in that process) both in Jamaica and out during the month designated by Jamaica as Reggae Month.
Operated by the Religious Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order of nuns, since 1890, Alpha is a “dream factory” (BBC’s ‘The World’) for unattached Jamaican youth and “helped release the spirit of one of the most musical islands in the world” (Telegraph/UK).
All proceeds from the Reggae Auction benefit social service programs for unattached youth who attend Alpha Institute (formerly Alpha Boys School) in Kingston, Jamaica. Social services vary depending on the needs of the student and his family or caregiver. Assistance may include transportation, nutrition, housing in some cases as well as medical and clinical assistance, all of which are privately funded. Without these services, Alpha students, most of whom reside in inner city communities, would have a significantly more difficult path to success or even sustainability.
Alpha’s 100+ students 16-20 years old are admitted based on need. In this case, while all students need our support some need more than others. Students earn certification in one of the following disciplines: barbering, landscaping, woodwork, music performance and music technology.
Alpha’s music program dates to 1892 and its graduates have been internationally recognized in jazz, ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. In the process, Alpha has been acclaimed as a “dream factory” that “helped to release the spirit of one of the most musical islands in the world” on its way to becoming “the birthplace of the reggae sound”. Since transitioning to a day school in 2014, Alpha has graduated more than 100 students with a variety of skills, won Jamaica’s Best School Band Competition, sent students and staff to Europe and regionally to represent Alpha and Jamaica, respectively. Developing or even maintaining progress will be dependent on the social support like that made possible by the Reggae Auction.
ABOUT ALPHA
Located at 26 South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica since 1880 and operated by the Religious Sisters of Mercy, a catholic order of nuns, since 1890, Alpha offers vocational, educational, social and employment services to 150 unattached youth and their families or guardians.