Reggae singer I-Octane has decided to embark on his own school tour.

The child month initiative will see the artiste partnering with Heart Trust NTA to visit select rural schools, where there will be motivational talks from both I-Octane and a representative from HEART, along with a performance from the artiste and giveaways from sponsors.

“I wanted to visit schools in the country, preferably those that are called ‘deep rural’. The fact is that everything seems to happen in the city – Kingston, MoBay – and, unfortunately, some places are forgotten. I also wanted to bring more to the table than a performance. As artistes, we are always criticised for not using our influence and status to uplift the youth, and with all the killing and the madness that is taking place, I felt that now is the time for me to take some more crucial steps towards that upliftment,” theLose A Friendsinger said. “We took the decision to invite HEART toaccompany us and tell the students in detail what they are all about and let these youngsters realise that this is a wonderful opportunity for them after leaving high school.”

“We are always happy to support our brand ambassadors in their initiatives, especially as they seek to use their talents to deliver positive and uplifting messages to our youths,” said Kamal Powell, Senior Sponsorship and Development Manager at Digicel. “He has really been a great role model for young people in Jamaica, this high school tour will see him taking it a step further to interact, inspire and motivate them in person. We are therefore very happy to be on board with what we know great experience for the students as they will be able to get mentoring while having fun and winning great prizes.”

The tour, which also has another component, a quiet model search by renowned modelling agency Saint International, kicks off today with a visit to Marcus Garvey High School in St Ann. This will be followed by a trip to Lennon High School in Mocho, Clarendon, Octane’s home parish, on Thursday. Also on the artiste’s school tour itinerary are Titchfield High School in Portland onMay 12; Robert Lightbourne High School in St Thomas onMay 13;and Claude Mckay High School, also in Clarendon, onMay 18.

www.jamaica-star.com