B.B. Coke Students Urged to Find Safe Spaces to Resolve Conflicts
By: , November 1, 2023
Photo: Serena Grant
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (seated, second left), sits on a wellness bench with students of the B.B. Coke High School in St. Elizabeth. The bench was unveiled during a mental wellness session held at the school on Thursday (October 26) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth. Joining the Minister are Chairman of the school board, Cetany Holness (left); Acting Principal of B.B. Coke High, Liteasha Gallimore (standing, third right); and Director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Judith Leiba (standing, fourth right).The Full Story
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has encouraged students at the B.B. Coke High School in St. Elizabeth to find safe spaces to work through issues before they escalate into violence.
“The space may be under a tree, the space may be at home, the space may be with their aunt, mother, church leader, school principal, guidance counsellor or form teacher,” he said, during a wellness check at the institution in Junction on Thursday (October 26).
The session, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth, comes against the background of the beating of 14-year-old student Jaheim Colman by a grade-11 student after the younger pupil allegedly stepped on his shoe.
Jaheim has since been treated and released from hospital and his schoolmates, who rushed him to get medical attention – Leon Barnes, Khari Green, Deajuan Gordon, Dejuan Powell and Garry Bartle – have been recognised by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and hailed by the island’s citizenry for their swift and brave actions.
Minister Tufton noted that in conversation with the students, many expressed that they already have safe spaces and “ambitions to do great things, and the overwhelming majority feel that the school is a great school. So, I am here to encourage, to endorse and to support [the school]”.
During the event, Dr. Tufton unveiled a wellness bench at the institution and told the students to see it as “your bench”.
“Now, the wellness bench does a couple of things. It’s a wellness bench because it’s one that you sit on when you are seeking wellness, when you are seeking to relax, when you are seeking to talk about positive things, when you are solving a problem, when you are meditating and thinking through something, or somebody is discussing something with you that is positive,” he pointed out.
The bench was unveiled as part of the Ministry’s #DoYourShare Campaign, which promotes the expansion of safe spaces to support mental health.