Mervin Jarman is a visionary. As a youth growing up in Palmer’s Cross, Clarendon, he was told by his teachers that he wouldn’t amount to anything. Fortunately, Mervin Jarman did not allow those prophecies to materialize. After studying multimedia production at college, he immediately got a job. He produced his employer’s first ever science CD-ROM. That was the only the beginning of a very productive journey in multimedia.

Wanting to give something back his community, Mervin Jarman launched the Container Project in Palmer’s Cross. The project entailed the creation of a multimedia center (housed in an old container) where people are trained in digital arts such as video editing and graphic design. The project specifically targets young persons whom many have given up on. Jarman has even developed a mobile version of the project, The “Istreet Lab”. The Istreet Lab consists of a laptop placed in a wheeled garbage container. With such a mobile multimedia center, Mervin Jarman is able to teach people on any street corner. Please watch the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) feature about him below before reading the rest of this article.

Now that you have watched the video, what comes to your mind? How do you feel? Jarman’s story highlights the fact that a little desire and creativity can lead to big things. How many more people like Mervin Jarman are there in Jamaica? The answer is that there are many. The Container Project is a beautiful example of the power of investing in human capital. Can you imagine the positive impact on society that such a project would have if it were applied on a much larger scale?