Hundreds to Benefit from UTech Students’ Union ‘Teach the Youth’ Summer Programme
By: , June 28, 2024
Photo: Contributed
Members of the University of Technology (UTech) Students’ Union Council and sponsor representatives, share a photo opportunity at the launch of the ‘Teach the Youth’ summer programme at the UTech campus in St. Andrew on June 21. The three-week summer programme will benefit students aged six to 18 in the communities of Papine, Kintyre, Highlight View, Tavern, Sandy Park, August Town and Hermitage.The Full Story
The University of Technology (UTech) Students’ Union Council is targeting the enrolment of at least 600 youngsters in its 2024 ‘Teach the Youth’ summer programme, which gets under way on Wednesday (July 3).
The three-week camp will benefit students aged six to 18 from Papine Kintyre, Highlight View, Tavern, Sandy Park, August Town and Hermitage.
Over the duration, members of the Council will go into the communities to deliver lessons in mathematics, English and Health and Family Life Education (HFLE).
“We’ve split HFLE into dealing with restorative justice and financial literacy. [We will also be] doing some conflict resolution and emotional intelligence,” said President of the UTech Students Union Council, Rick Darby.
He was speaking to JIS News at the recent launch of the summer programme at the UTech campus in St. Andrew.
Mr. Darby said that the objective of the programme, initiated in 1999 by then President of the Council, Dr. Kevin Brown, who is now the University’s President, is to positively impact the lives of students within the surrounding communities.
“They started the initiative by going into the different communities to teach the students, demonstrating our social commitment to society, and since then the programme has continued year after year,” he noted.
“So far, we have continued to grow the programme, and this year we are looking to impact at least 600 students and we will continue to do so to the best of our abilities,” Mr. Darby pledged.
Providing further details about the programme offerings this year, the Council’s Director of Community Service, Moy-Ann Reid, told JIS News that new features have been added.
“We are introducing a new curriculum, which is Media and Technology… . It focuses on things such as basic photography. We’re going to do basic video editing,” she noted.
“We have identified this because we realise that sometimes these [students] want to go into these different areas of media… so we are just giving them a little footing and basic training,” Ms. Reid said.
An exciting and highly anticipated aspect of the summer programme is the ‘Culture Day’ activity, where the youngsters get to showcase their talents, while celebrating the rich Jamaican culture, through performances of content from late cultural icon Louise Bennett Coverley, folk songs and proverbs, Anancy stories, and more.
An interesting component has been added to this year’s Culture Day – a Mr. and Miss Teach the Youth Pageant.
“This is really to give the 10 to 13 [age group] a little bit more to focus on. So, they will be focusing on things such as public speaking, learning how to answer and navigate questions,” Ms. Reid told JIS News.
“We also looked at it from the perspective of bringing unity, as we would have the 14 to 18 [age group working as] mentors to the contestants,” Ms. Reid added.
Ms. Reid said that the annual summer programme is more than just a “calendar event”.
“This is not only a programme that we have on the calendar every year. It is really the programme we use to cement our place in these communities… . This is our way of saying there is more to life than what you are exposed to… and it means a great deal to them,” she told JIS News.
The UTech Students’ Union Vice President for Public Relations, Shamir Martin, commended the sponsors who have come on board to make the programme possible, including providing meals.
“Usually, for the programme, we would only serve lunch, but we are hoping this year that we can serve breakfast based on the products that we have received from these sponsors,” he said.
Mr. Martin expressed gratitude and extended an invitation for more corporate entities to support the initiative.
This year’s sponsors are HEART/NSTA Trust, Facey Commodity, Best Dressed Chicken, Reggae Jammin, Salada, Beans Media Designs, Brunswick Jamaica, Salada Foods, Cals, 876 Water, and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).
Persons or entities looking to sponsor the programme may contact the Council on Instagram at utechstudentsunion or visit its website at www.utechstudentsunion.com.