Youngsters Draw Motivation from Inaugural At-Risk Boys Symposium

Youngsters participating in the inaugural At-Risk Boys Symposium, held recently in Morant Bay, St. Thomas, have drawn inspiration from the initiative.

The event, which is the brainchild of LASCO/Ministry of Education and Youth/Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Teacher of the Year, Jody Brown, was aimed at motivating boys residing in the parish to become model citizens in their communities. It was attended by 30 boys from nine primary schools across St. Thomas.

Mr. Brown told JIS News that the symposium was also intended to encourage the boys to value the contributions they are being primed to make to the nation and, further, to help those facing challenges, such as poverty and family dysfunction, among other issues that could lead to a life of crime and disengagement from society.

“It provided a platform for sharing ideas, best practices and success stories that can help make a difference in the lives of these boys,” Mr. Brown explained.

Grade-five student at Morant Bay Primary School, Troy Bryce, told JIS News that during the symposium, “I met a lot of friends and I was able to learn how to be respectful, how to be good every day and to live a good life”.

Another participant, grade-six student at Bath Primary School, Romain Sinclair, indicated that “I learned that anything you put your mind to you can achieve, and also that you should always [work] towards [fulfilling] your dreams”.

Troy, Romain and the other participants were engaged by specialist stakeholders spanning various disciplines across several ministries, departments and agencies.

These included the Ministries of Justice, and Education and Youth; the Jamaica Fire Brigade; Jamaica Constabulary Force; Jamaica Information Service, and Jamaica Library Service.

The symposium’s successful execution supports the Government’s thrust to engage at-risk youth through personal-development programmes.
Education Officer in the Education Ministry’s Region 2, Marcia Dallas-McKenzie, who spoke at the symposium, underscored the need for more events that engage the society’s at-risk and unattached youth.

She said these events are particularly necessary at this time, in light of the performance disparity between boys and girls at various levels of the education system.

“Research shows that a large percentage of our girls consistently display mastery in literacy and numeracy at the primary level and also in many areas at the secondary level, while this is not usually the case for our boys,” the Education Officer noted.

She further shared that some male students display maladaptive behaviour, which makes them more vulnerable.

Against this background, news that the symposium is the first of several events that will be organised by Mr. Brown to address these issues is welcome by several stakeholders.

He also plans to host other events for special needs students in the parish and the wider school community.