School #14 – Haile Selassie High School, St. Andrew: The Final Stop  of the school tour for 2013

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

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” One of the greatest humans in history uttered those powerful words, and it is after him that the Talk Up Yout School Tour’s final stop, Haile Selassie High School is named. The Talk Up Yout School tour is sponsored by Emprezz, UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill and was accompanied by representatives from the OCR, UNICEF, Steppa and DJ Bambino.

What issues do youths attending school and/or living in Payne Land face? What do they know of the general youth issues in Jamaica? Where do they get help when they need it? These are the questions the Talk Up Yout School tour aimed to answer by way of a panel discussion with 5 students, representing grades 7 to 11 of Haile Selassie High School – Neville McIntosh, Dale Campbell, Raheem Angus, Shelby Parke and Deana-Kay Thomas. The students were joined on the panel by their Guidance Counsellor Jacqueline Bryan, their Vice Principal, Steppa and DJ Bambino.

The discussion was also open to students in the audience who wished to comment or to share their experiences and observations. These issues included Crime and Violence, Rape, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Illiteracy, Unemployment, Lack of Access to Tertiary Education, Bleaching, Premature Sexual Activity, Transactional Sex, Child Prostitution, Bullying, Low Self-Esteem, Peer Pressure, Teenage Pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections and Diseases, Unprotected Sex, Suicide, Depression, Self-Mutilation, Drug Abuse, Weapons in School, Poor Parenting, Extortion in Schools and Indiscipline.

Many of the students expressed a wish to be better parents than their own parents. The grade 7 representative spoke about his dedication to being a good father, by ensuring that his children would not be allowed to do “certain things” until he dies.

Other students spoke about young girls in their communities who are being “prostituted” by their own mothers, while others turn to transactional sex for money and “pretty clothes”. This discussion encouraged one student to speak up about what she had seen in her community and to issue a strong plea to men in society to leave the little girls alone.

Another issue which sparked much discussion was the issue of bleaching. The general consensus amongst the students of Haile Selassie High was that bleaching is an undesirable activity, which never enhances the beauty of a person, but rather exposes them to various skin diseases and also diminishes their ability to become gainfully employed. Emprezz spoke one-on-one with several students in the audience who were bleaching, asking them why they bleach among other questions. They generally dodged the questions and hid from the camera.

Both DJ Bambino and Steppa had strong messages for the students. DJ Bambino urged them to develop strong identities and a sense of character, so that they will be less susceptible to negative influences from music, musicians and other figures in the entertainment industry.

Steppa spoke about his experiences in Juvenile Correctional Centres, and urged the students to stay positive and on the straight path because he has seen where the “bad man” path leads to and it isn’t a very nice place.

Their Vice Principal and Guidance Counsellors also had similar messages for them, reminding them that they have endless possibilities and they should seek positivity and aim to achieve the highest standard. The students were also spoken to by Child Ambassadors from the OCR, and given Help Stickers from UNICEF.

Endlessly motivating the students, Emprezz empowered them with words from strong black leaders such as Haile Selassie and Marcus Garvey. She shared with some unconventional roads to success and urged them to never stop thinking outside of the box and trying to succeed.

Sherry Perrier, an Economic Advisor on the Talk Up Yout School tour, also gave them savings tips and encouraged them to become entrepreneurs through a “Economic Generator” game. The aim of the game was to create a business idea that could, in the space of a year, double the start-up capital of $2000 Jamaican dollars. The winning business idea was a beaded bracelet company, and the student who came up with it was given the $2000.

Finally, after the students on the panel were presented with baskets courtesy of National Baking Company, Haile Selassie High School’s talented Speech Choir and Dancers performed for everyone; a precursor to DJ Bambino’s entertaining performance using his skills on the turn tables.

The Talk Up Yout School Tour 2013, has visited 14 schools, one in each parish of Jamaica, and on this tour we have encountered negative issues, positive students and pro-active school administrators. It will take constant effort on the part of all stakeholders to fix these issues. Therefore, it is time we rallied around our children and gave them the support they need. Follow @TalkUpYout on twitter, Talk Up Yout TV Show on Facebook, visit our blog and Youtube page, and find out how you can help these youths. Be an agent of Social Change, Shatter the Silence and remember to always Talk Up Yout.

Written by Kristeena Monteith

School #3 – Cumberland High School
Parish: St. Catherine

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

Not even the sweltering heat that enveloped the entire corporate area could prevent the Talk Up Yout School Tour from journeying into the Sunshine City, Portmore to visit Cumberland High School. This was the third stop of the tour which is powered by UNICEF, National Baking Company, Purewater and Island Grill and the Talk Up Yout Team was accompanied by representatives of the National Council for Youth Development and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network.

Despite the humid weather the well-behaved students of Cumberland High were obviously excited and eager to help in any way possible. The panel was led by Emprezz and comprised of 5 students, Jay Lue, Taira Vanriel, Kris-Anna Marriott, Juddine Johnson, Aamir Spencer who represented grades 7 through 11 respectively. Also on the panel were the Guidance Counselor Mr.Hutchinson, Senior Programmes Developer at the National Council for Youth Development – Steppa, Youth Empowerment Officers Gihon Mitchell and Simone Green and the 2013 winner of The Rising Stars Television Show – Saxophonist Verlando Small.

Most of the issues raised by the students of Cumberland High School were of a violent nature, whether it was violence against children or violent crimes. These issues included Death, Violence, Crime, Abuse, Drug Abuse, Smoking, Sexual Abuse as well as Low Self Esteem, Peer Pressure, Illiteracy, Child Prostitution, Transactional Sex, Teenage Pregnancy, The Distribution of Condoms inSchool, High School Dropouts, and Stress.

Some of the most memorable moments of the day were equally parts shocking and sad. For example, when Emprezz asked the students to raise their hands if they knew anyone who had lost their lives through violent means and there was scarcely a hand that wasn’t raised.

Student Aamir Spencer gave an emphatic plea to young men in Jamaica to “Wise up and put down the gun.” He touched the hearts of all present when he spoke about the desensitization of youths in his community to crime and violence. According to him, gunshots have begun to sound like firecrackers.

All five students on the panel also agreed that condoms should not be distributed in schools citing reasons such as “A school is a place of learning”, “Students should be focusing on their studies not sex”, “Sex should occur after marriage.”

There was much discussion regarding the issues raised by the panel and other students in the audience and Emprezz encouraged the students to identify solutions to these issues on their own, while providing them with information about agencies such as the Office of the Children’s Registry which exist to protect them in the event that their safety or well-being is threatened in any way.

Verlando Small also gave the students advice on how to be successful in their endeavours, and addressed many of their issues by giving them solutions and anecdotes from his own life.

The Guidance Counselor Mr Hutchinson spoke of the various situations he has dealt with and continues to deal with. He also called out to Corporate Jamaica to refrain from marginalizing youths based on their addresses. He believes this practice helps in perpetuating criminal activity as intelligent and accomplished students cannot find any legitimate means of supporting themselves, thus they turn to criminal activity to “fill that gap.”

Steppa shared many stories of the youths in Juvenile Centres that he works with and pleaded with the students to remain on the path that takes them firmly away from Juvenile Delinquency. He reminded them to remain focused, keep their goals in mind and strive for success.

The students of Cumberland High were treated to a performance from their own talented student Aamir Spencer, Steppa and Verlando Small to bring the day’s activities to a close.

The students of Cumberland High revealed many important issues which youths in Jamaica are facing every day. They eloquently spoke of these issues and used various stories from their own lives to show the far-reaching effects that these issues have had on youths on a whole. The Talk Up YoutSchool Tour is aimed at finding these issues in every parish. Engaging these students in the discussions which affect them is the only way to find meaningful solutions to their issues.

Next Stop: Port Antonio High School.

Written by Kristeena Monteith

TALK UP YOUT SCHOOL TOUR

Hopewell High School-#2

Date: September 17, 2013

Parish: Hanover

     The Second Stop on the Talk Up Yout School Tour

 

KINGSTON, 19 September 2013:  Travelling the South Coast Route from Kingston to Hanover is a feat of no mean order, yet, The Talk Up Yout team led by Emprezz Golding, powered by UNICEF, National Bakery, Purewater, and accompanied by a representative of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network & Steppa made the roughly 4 hour journey to give the students of Hopewell High School their chance to TALK UP! The excitement of the students was so infectious that before long the entire team felt energized and ready to hear the issues faced by the youths in Hanover.

The panel at Hopewell High School included Emprezz, Steppa,Donmarie Latouche (NCYD-Youth Empowerment Officer, Hanover), the guidance counselor of Hopewell High School and 5 five students, representative of each year group. The audience was comprised of almost 200 students and teachers of Hopewell High.

The students of Hopewell High unleashed a deluge of issues such as the Poor Operation of Schools, Poor Transportation Conditions, High School Dropouts, Teenage Pregnancy, Homosexuality, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Teenage Prostitution, Drugs including Marijuana, Lack of Parental Guidance, Moral Degradation, Loss of Community Parenting, Child Abuse, Premature Sexual Activity, Delinquent Fathers and Mothers, Rape, Juvenile Delinquency, Neglect and Abandonment, Suicide, Depression, Cutting and other forms of Self-Mutilation (e.g. Sewing one’s hands), Spousal Abuse, Illiteracy, Over-Exposure to Sexually Charged Material/Images and Indiscipline in Schools.

Much of the day’s discussion was centered on finding the causes and solutions of all of these issues, especially the ones the students identified as particularly prevalent. These included Child Abuse, Neglect and Abandonment and Self-Mutilation. Students were eager to share their personal experiences as well as those they had witnessed. Some students got emotional and had to be counseled by Talk Up Yout counselors separately.

One girl in particular seemed to have been holding so much trauma and pain inside of her that she broke down in tears and could not even express herself with words. Several students in the audience shared horror stories of mothers telling their children that they (the mothers) should have aborted them, telling them now that they ought to “gwaan guh dead”. Students spoke of overhearing parents abusing their children verbally and physically, and most importantly they spoke of how they felt in those situations and the feeling of not knowing who to turn to, not having anyone to confide in.

The Guidance Counselor of Hopewell High Ms. Thomas spoke of some of the issues that she, in her capacity as Guidance Counselor faces such as the reticence of parents to become involved in the life of the school and the lives of their children. Donamarie Latouche: The NCYD’s Youth Empowerment Officer agreed with her and said that parents are more likely to come to school when a student’s phone has been confiscated than for PTA meetings or any consultation at all with teachers.

Throughout the program the panelists, especially Emprezz, often left the stage to talk to the students who were sharing their experiences for the first time. Several students while speaking amongst themselves noted that, never before had anyone ever come to them and asked them how they felt, and what they were dealing with. Emprezz shared many uplifting quotations from people such as Marcus Garvey and Kofi Annan with the students and counseled them, encouraging them to believe in themselves, reminding them of the various agencies that exist solely to protect them from the kinds of situations they are facing.

A representative from the Office of the Children’s Registry gave the students the contact numbers of the various agencies that they can contact for help and UNICEF handed out help stickers to each child with similar information.

Although, the issues at Hopewell High and in Hanover are dire and need immediate response from the various authorities, there are success stories. There are phenomenal students, who, despite facing mammoth problems, have found little solutions to help combat their pain. One student, related to all present, how she uses dub poetry and music to take her to a place where she is safe, to heal herself, and she has since stopped turning to self-mutilation to keep her sanity. Several students gave performances after which Steppa performed to bring the day’s activities to a close.

Next Stop:  Cumberland High School in St. Catherine. Students, get ready to Talk Up!

Written by Kristeena Monteith