School #8 – Munro College

All-Island Tour Powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater & Island Grill

Kingston, 26 October 2013 – “In Arce Sitam Quis Occultabit.” These words ring over the Hills and Plains of St. Elizabeth, echoing the history of a school with a legacy of legend. This is the motto of Munro College and it aptly translates to “A City Set Upon A Hill Cannot Be Hid.” Founded in 1856, the school has survived disasters both man-made and natural and stands tall, proud and true today.

The Munronians of this generation strive to preserve the legacy of this school and as they welcomed the Talk Up Yout School Tour to their City on the Hill, they were impressively well-behaved and were perfect gentlemen and ladies. The Talk Up Yout School Tour is led by Emprezz Golding and powered by UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill. Accompanying the team on this visit were representatives of UNICEF, the Office of the Children’s Registry, The Bureau of Gender Affairs, the Organized Crime Investigation Division of the JCF and hugely popular local and international Reggae artiste Etana.

The aim of the Talk Up Yout School Tour is to engage young people in stimulating discussions about the issues they deal with and/or witness around them in their wider community or country. This opportunity was welcomed by the young men and women of Munro College who eloquently spoke out on these matters. Munro recently opened its gates to young women for their Sixth Form Program.

Although not many of the students spoke about their personal issues, they had much to say regarding the behaviour of young people in general and also had riveting solutions to some of these problems. Crime and Violence, Juvenile Delinquency, Moral Degradation, Child Abuse, Transportation Issues, Poor Governance, the Unstable Economy, Loss of Patriotism, Lack of Confidence and Academic Difficulties were some of the issues raised.

Interspersed between the serious discussions were moments of light-hearted fun. Emprezz, aiming to better understand the boy’s opinion of all-boys educational institutions enquired about what makes a Munronian special, a question to which 6th form student replied “We are Munronians, no explanation necessary.” This response earned him standing ovation and cheers from his schoolmates.

They were also asked about their relationship with the new Munro ladies and the students of the Hampton’s School. The female students admitted to being propositioned by the boys occasionally but noted that they were always gentlemen and they were careful to approach them confidently and respectfully.

The primary agents of the discussion were the students who represented their respective forms. These young men were: Rashaun Bernard, Amronn Smith, Carlton Collins, Dominique Blair, Syeon Blair and Sujae Boswell of Upper Sixth Form. They were joined by their Vice Principal Alcia Morgan-Bromfield and Guidance Counsellors Andria Strong-Moses and Ms Cogle.

The boys had strong opinions on the issues of Poverty, Tertiary Education and Politics. Most of them noted that in light of Jamaica’s current financial situation their parents have made economic plans for their tertiary education. This particular vein of discussion prompted Talk Up Yout economic adviser and final year Finance Student at the University of the West Indies Sherry Perrier to speak to the boys about planning for their Tertiary Education and the importance of saving. They were also given help stickers with important information about where to get help/counselling if necessary.

Emprezz also engaged them in discussions about how they could improve Jamaica for themselves and for the generations after them, while empowering them with quotes from our first national hero Marcus Garvey. Etana lent her voice to these discussions also, by impressing upon the students the importance of education. She also performed at the end of the tour.

The Youth Ambassador of the OCR for that division, Deandra Goss a student of the Hampton’s School spoke to the students about the function of the OCR and encouraged them to report any issues they come across. The representative of OCID also educated about the dangers of Human Trafficking and how to avoid becoming a victim of this cruel modern-day slavery.

Munro College is a testament of the fact that there are young people in Jamaica who are intelligent and who care about the future of the country. It is the desire of Talk Up Yout to listen to their stories, hear their solutions and help their dreams to become realities. Up Ye Mighty Race, accomplish what you will.

Next Stop: Tacky High School, St. Mary.

Stories of neglected children, abuse, youths with no future, children getting involved in destructive activities, older men preying on young girls, parents forcing their girls to support them through prostitution, these were the stories of the students of St. James High.

On Tuesday the 22nd of October the Talk Up Yout School Tour made the journey to Montego Bay to hear the issues of the youths in St. James from the students of St. James High School. The Talk Up Yout School Tour is powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill and this stop on the tour was accompanied by representatives from the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, National Centre for Youth Development and the Office of the Children’s Registry.

In a brilliant display of pathetic fallacy, the heat of the second city mirrored the heat that the students of St. James High brought to the day’s discussion. They spoke about issues such as Rape, Peer Pressure, Pre-Mature Sexual Activity, Transactional Sex, Child Abuse, Crime and Violence, Juvenile Delinquency, High Cost of Tertiary Education and Poor Parenting.

The issue which sparked the most discussion was Poor Parenting. Emprezz asked the students to give advice to the Jamaican parents and most responses urged parents to build better relationships with their children. The Grade 8 representative on the panel Aldane Thompson had a very different message. His advice to parents was that they desist from “extorting” their children and “guh look wuk.”

The other students on the panel were Santos York, Trish-Ann Longshaw, Yashanique Thompson and Keron Morson (Head Boy). They were joined by their Principal Mr Williams, who spoke of his experiences as Principal of St. James High. His major issue was the lack of father figures in the lives of his students. According to him, he has had to father many of the children at St. James High.

The courage of the students at St. James High was also of note. They discussed many controversial issues and were unafraid to call names and give personal anecdotes after being assured by Emprezz that their identities would of course remain confidential but more importantly, their issues would be dealt with. One student openly identified her father as a “wukliss puppa” and another spoke of being inappropriately propositioned by a tutor who subsequently impregnated another student.

This particular issue sparked immediate action from representative of the OCR Greg Smith. He urged the students to always report issues of that nature to the OCR as they are the Government Organisation set up to deal with cases of Child Abuse of any kind.

However, when Emprezz asked the students if they had ever heard of organizations such as OCR and NCYD, 99% of them had not. Fortunately a representative from UNICEF, Klieon John distributed Help Stickers with information such as the various websites and organizations that students can visit/call for confidential counselling and intervention if necessary.

In light Jamaica’s financial and economic atmosphere, Emprezz decided to provide credible and practical financial information to the students of the school’s visited by the Talk Up Yout School Tour. Thus, the students of St. James High were given financial advice from Talk Up Yout Economic Advisors Aaron Ramsey and Sherry Perrier such as a quick and easy savings tip – Saving $50 per day for 365 days will generate $18,250 in one year.

They were also engaged in stimulating games. They were asked how they could turn $2000 into $4000 in one year and several students gave ideas such as buying hens and selling the eggs, tutoring students in mathematics, investing it in a company, depositing it to a bank account and allowing interest to accrue on it and starting a lawn mowing business. Another activity Emprezz organized was a simulated Government. The students were given various portfolios or ministries to govern and were asked how they would improve Jamaica through those ministries.

They also yielded interesting solutions such as Fighting Praedial Larceny and the mock Prime Minister decided to reduce the size of his cabinet and use the salaries of those minsters he had made redundant to help the poor. The students also put on a talent show to bring the day’s activities to a close.

Next Stop: 25th October 2013, Munro College, St. Elizabeth
All-Island Tour Powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater & Island Grill

Written by Kristeena Monteith for Talk Up Yout

School #6 – Glenmuir High School

All-Island Tour Powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater & Island Grill

On Friday the 11th of October the Talk Up Yout School tour which is powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill, visited the Pride and Joy of Clarendon, the Glenmuir High School. The motto of Glenmuir is Flagrans Veritatis Studio which translates to “Burning with the Zeal for Truth” and the students of Glenmuir High were clearly on fire when we visited.

The panel discussion was led by Emprezz Golding and consisted of six students: Racquel Smalling, Andre Barrett, Gillian Williams, Amoy Muirhead, Xandre Mohansingh and Allison Mitchell. One of the Guidance Counsellors of Glenmuir High – Mrs A. Francis and popular Jamaican Entertainer Roy Thompson a.k.a Bugle were also on the panel. A representative from the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) Cassetta Green was on site to provide valuable information to the students.

The issues raised by the students of Glenmuir included Peer Pressure, Studying Difficulties, Bullying, The Economy, Discrimination, Child Abuse, Child Labour, Making the Right Choices, Brain Drain, Low Self-Esteem, Bleaching, Underpaid Teachers, Human Trafficking, Materialism, Condoms in Schools, The Age of Consent, Pre-Marital Sexual Activity, Unemployment and the High cost of Tertiary Education.

Of all the issues raised, The Economy was by far the most widely discussed. One would think that Glenmuir’s entire school population was studying Economics. Not only were they aware of the different phenomena surrounding Jamaica’s economy, they also quite readily gave a myriad of solutions to our economic woes.

Several students thought a change of voting style was necessary, others wanted Jamaicans to “stop complaining” and fix the problems themselves. Other students called for the educated population of Jamaica to desist from migrating for better conditions and job opportunities, but their peers retorted by saying that sometimes the best and the brightest migrate and return eventually armed with expertise to help the country.

The students were also keen on discussing the issue of Discrimination. According to them, people are still being discriminated against in Jamaica because of the colour of their skin. They gave examples of bank hiring policies which give the job to the “lighter coloured” person regardless of the superior qualifications that the “darker coloured” person may have. They also believed there was “Address-based” Discrimination being perpetuated in Corporate Jamaica.

On the issue of discrimination one very brave young lady spoke about being a victim of discrimination because of her struggle with acne. According to her she has been the victim of cruel jokes and hurtful comments for most of her high school life. She also admits to having suicidal thoughts in the past but as Emprezz comforted her she found the strength to tell everyone about her journey to self-love. She urged all her peers to spread only positivity by always being nice to each other.

One student brought tears to almost everyone’s eyes when he spoke about the murder of his cousin. He began by vehemently speaking out against the members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force who hinder people from working/ “hustling”. When Emprezz pressed him he admitted that his cousin had been killed by police officers who were given incorrect information about him by spiteful people who wished him harm. Although he had been doing very good, when Emprezz asked him how all of that made him feel he could not hold back the tears.

A member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Detective Corporal Kevin Strachan from the Trafficking in Person’s Unit gave an address to the students about the dangers of human trafficking and steps to take each day to avoid becoming a victim of human trafficking which the students heartily thanked him for.

Many students also gave their peers advice about being self-motivated and industrious because the future belongs to them and to help them in this regard Talk Up Yout Economic Adviser Aaron Ramsey gave the students tips on saving and budgeting telling them that if they save $50 per day for 365 days they will end up with around $18,250 at the end of the year.

The final words came from Emprezz, Bugle and Miss Francis. Emprezz reminded the students to believe in themselves and to create today the right attitudes and values to help them succeed tomorrow.

Mrs Francis urged them to return to the positive morals and values they were raised with and Bugle thought it was pertinent to remind the parents of these children that they have an obligation to their children to raise them properly and shield them from harm. Thus he believes they (the parents) must be educated so that they perform these functions properly.

Dub Poet Gabeana Campbell performed a moving piece called “Mi a one a dem deh yout deh” which was well received by the students of Glenmuir High who could relate to the message. The students on the panel were given gift baskets from National Baking Company and Purewater after which Bugle performed to end the day’s activities.

See you on the next Stop!

Quote of the Day:

“We need to be uploaders, not downloaders. Then we can uplift our spirits and fly!” – Student of Glenmuir High School

School #4 – Port Antonio High School

Parish: Portland

All-Island Tour Powered by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater & Island Grill

 

The Talk Up Yout School Tour was welcomed to Portland by cool sea breezes and lush verdant hills; a stark contrast from the heat of Kingston. The tour, which is powered by Emprezz Golding, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill, was accompanied by Shaquani McKenzie who is a representative of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network and Youth Empowerment Officer Dowell Williams.

The panel discussion at Port Antonio High School was moderated by Emprezz and included five students Chavar Johnson, Janelle Hallwood, Kabidi Morris, Shanique Beckford and Ryan Anderson, representing grades 7 through 11. Senior Programmes Development Officer at the National Center for Youth Development and Director of the Forward Step Foundation – Miguel ‘Steppa’ Williams also sat on the panel alongside roots reggae artiste Nature and the Guidance Counselor of Port Antonio High School Mr Bailey.

One major difference between Port Antonio High School and all other schools that the Talk Up Yout School Tour has visited, is that the students did not name crime and violence as one of the issues they face. Their Guidance Counselor, Mr Bailey pointed out that crime and violence levels in Portland are minimal when compared to the levels experienced in the cities and major towns on the South Coast. However, he noted that Domestic Violence is an issue which the students are exposed to.

Other issues raised by both students on the panel and students in the audience included Diseases, namely Diabetes, Stress, Peer Pressure, Bullying, Lack of Parental Guidance, Gambling, Illiteracy, Condoms in Schools, Premature Sexual Activity, Teenage Pregnancy, Suicide, Social Media Safety, Bleaching and Unemployment.

Bullying was an issue which solicited many comments from the students in the audience. Emprezz asked them to identify the bullies in their midst and she spoke to them (the bullies) about the consequences of their actions, empowering them to declare publicly that they would refrain from harassing their peers.

The issue of premature sexual activity also got the students to talk up. When Emprezz asked the students to raise their hands if they knew anyone under seventeen who was pregnant most of the students raised their hands. This sparked a discussion about the factors influencing young people to engage in sexual activity.

One student remarked that parents often force their children to have sex for money, which is then used to support the household. Steppa also commented on the issue, saying that there is a thin line between adults and young people nowadays. He said even the music that young people are exposed to influences them to “dash out” and disregard the sanctity of their bodies.

Nature reminded the students that they have the power to control their natural sexual urges, and encouraged them to be strong and focused. He also weighed in the discussion about bullying by suggesting that cameras be put in schools to monitor the activities of students, a suggestion which all the students agreed to. Remarkably, the representative from grade 10 Shanique Beckford spun the argument around by suggesting that the cameras be used to monitor under-performing teachers, which elicited cheers from her peers in the audience.

At the end of the day the students were entertained by Steppa and Nature, and were given stickers with information about the different agencies such as the Office of the Children’s Registry, that they can call in the case of an emergency or if they want to report a case of child abuse. The panellists were also given Gift Baskets courtesy of National Baking Company.

Emprezz chose to leave the students with inspirational words from Marcus Garvey:

“We must give up that silly idea of folding our hands and waiting upon God to do everything for us. If God intended that, He would not have given us a mind.”

Next Stop: Morant Bay High School, St. Thomas.