February 24, 2013.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NFPB’S FATHER OF THE YEAR 2013 ESSAY COMPETITION! WHO DO YOU RECOMMEND?

The National Family Planning Board (NFPB) will be commemorating Father’s Day this

year by engaging Jamaica’s adolescents and youth in an essay competition to

recommend who they think should be awarded the title, Father of the Year.

The competition was developed by the NFPB to encourage behaviour change

among males in accessing sexual and reproductive health services and to

influence fathers, and potential fathers, to play a more prevailing role in the nurture

and development of their families. The Board recognises that Jamaicans have for a

long time fostered a culture wherein men measure their manhood by the number of

children they procreate. However, the Board aims to re-socialise Jamaican men -

and women too - to view childrearing within the context of family. The Essay aims

to:

Influence behaviour change among Jamaican males

Enhance the awareness of males on their sexual and reproductive health

responsibilities

Strengthen the capacity of males of reproductive age to make informed

reproductive health choices

Enhance positive reproductive health outcomes among Jamaican males

The Father’s Day Essay Competition will be on the topic, Father, the Ideal Dad! The

father recommended in the winning essay will then be titled and awarded as the

NFPB’s Father of the Year 2013. While there will be only one Father of the Year,

there will be other prizes and surprises.

Eligibility Criteria:

Entrants must be between the ages of 9 and 25 years

Essays must be typed – double spaced, using Times New Romans, size 12

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The word limit should be a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 700; entries

below or exceeding these limits will be disqualified

Essays MUST have a cover page with the participant’s full name, date of

birth, home address including the parish, at least one contact number, essay

word count, essay topic and the father’s full name and date of birth

Bibliography or list of references (at least one of your references must be an

NFPB source)

Members of staff and relatives of NFPB workers are not eligible to enter

The winning father will be required to participate in various media activities

put on by the Board in relation to the theme.

The essay should:

1. Discuss, with supporting data, who is a father, examining his roles and

responsibilities in the decision to have a child, conception of the child and

the development of that child into adulthood.

2. Describe why the person you are nominating is the ideal dad

3. State the relevance of family planning for males

4. Be written by contestants in English and must be completely original

5. Essays will be judged on the following criteria: relevance to the topic,

originality, accuracy and analysis of the researched data, neatness, and

presentation, style and language skills.

Marking scheme:

1. Analysis of the researched data – 20%

2. Language skills – 10%

3. Accuracy of the researched data – 20%

4. Structure, neatness, presentation and style – 10%

5. Relevance to the topic – 20%

6. Application of personal SRH experience and originality – 20%

Further information:

The National Family Planning Board reserves the right to disqualify any essay that

does not meet the requirements specified in these instructions. Entrants will be

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penalized for Plagiarism (passing off another person’s idea or written work as your

own). Entrants should retain a copy of their essay as the one submitted to the NFPB

will become the property of the Board.

National Family Planning Board Essay Competition

ENTRY FORM/COVER PAGE By entering the contest, entrants assign copyright of their material to the NFPB. Essays will not be returned and may be used by the NFPB in media communications. Appropriate acknowledgements will be given to the writers of selected essays.

Name of Contestant: ____________________________________________________

Date of Birth: ____________________________________________________________

Full Address: ____________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Contact number: _____________________________________________________________

Father’s name: _____________________________________________________

Topic: __________________________________________________________________

Word Count: ________________________________________________________

Signature of Father: _______________________________________________________

Contestant’s signature: _____________________________________________________________

Essays with completed entry form should be sent NO LATER THAN MARCH 25, 2013 to:

Father of the Year Essay Competition National Family Planning Board

5 Sylvan Avenue Kingston 5

Or emailed to: jnfpb.org@gmail.com Follow us for updates: www.facebook.com/JNFPB and www.twitter.com/jnfpb

Contact NFPB: 876.968.1627-33 and www.jnfpb.org Copyright 2013

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Promoting healthy families for a healthy nation!

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Contact: Racquel Reece,

Communications Officer (Writer) (NFPB)

Telephone: (876)968-1632-3, CUG: 537-8377 and Facsimile: (876) 968-1626.

Email: rreece@jnfpb.org

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