Children’s advocate, Faith Marshall-Harris telling students and their parents about some of the topics and activities that will be dealt with during ‘Camp Inspire’.
Becoming better
Fifty students of the Grantley Adams Memorial School over the next two weeks will be involved in a summer camp aimed at motivating them to become better individuals.
“Camp Inspire” is organised by the Faith Marshall-Harris Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Helpline (FM-H SLCT Helpline) in partnership with that educational institution. It will run from August 12 to 23 and those attending are ages 14-15 years old.
Addressing yesterday’s opening ceremony, Marshall-Harris said this is the inaugural year for the camp and it is “for selected students” of the school who the FM-H SLCT Helpline “perceive as being in greatest need for our help.”
She told participants the camp will “focus on how much we can support you emotionally, spiritually and we will also nourish you. We need you to take full advantage of this attempt to big you up. That is what ‘Camp Inspire’ is supposed to do.”
Marshall-Harris also outlined that every session conducted is designed to help students “understand yourself, your world, to be in harmony with it. To be in harmony with your school, your community, your friends, even your enemies and so that you can be at rest. From the very beginning we are going to seek to inspire you to do better.”
Some of the interactive sessions will be led by representatives from the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA), Supreme Counselling, Power of Choice and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition.
Yesterday’s ceremony was also addressed by Principal, Major Andrew Skeete. He described Camp Inspire as “a significant achievement in the life” of the St. Joseph school. He said it comes at a time when that educational institution “within recent times” has had negative publicity.
Therefore “an event of this nature signals to the wider educational community and indeed Barbados that we are ready to put the interest of our students’ education first and foremost and have decided to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the education and training, cultural support and social and emotional experiences provided here at Grantley Adams Memorial meet their needs, by creating an environment where success can be achieved and is guaranteed once the required… effort is made by you our students.”
Major Skeete encouraged all participants “to take full advantage” of the opportunity. This advice was echoed by Chairman of the Board of the Grantley Adams Memorial School, George Griffith who encouraged students to “make the best use of it by being punctual, having regular attendance, demonstrating good deportment, being respectful and obedient to those in charge and by seeking to be excellent ambassadors for your school and the youth population of Barbados.” (MG)