Principal Ricardo Major and Attendance/Truant officer Decarlo Cartwright-Julien at Programme Sure, are seen planning their next seminar.

THE students at Genesis Academy/Programme Sure received valuable advice and encouragement last week from Deputy Leader of the Free National Movement, Peter Turnquest, who told them about overcoming challenges when growing up to become successful, productive citizens.

Programme Sure, which is operated by the Ministry of Education, is an alternative school for troubled children who have been removed from the mainstream school system.

Principal Ricardo Major said he was pleased that Mr. Turnquest was able to participate in the school’s seminar on Domestic Violence last Friday. “We were very glad that Mr. Turnquest was able to tell his story about coming out of the public school at Hawksbill High with the boys, who can identify with someone who has had challenges and to see how he was able to rise all the way to the top,” he said.

Mr. Major said such testimonies help to encourage and motivate their students to overcome their challenges and become productive citizens in society. “We have a mentorship programme and we send appeals out and invite persons to come and share their success stories with the students,” he said.

Mr. Major said that there are currently 17 students, aged between 12 and 16, enrolled. They also cater to students who have been suspended from school for short periods of time, he said. “Our main focus is to see how we can get them redirected in terms of their thinking process and behaviours in order to get them back into mainstream school,” he said.

For those who are not able to return to the mainstream education system due to their age and requirement for graduation, he said efforts are made to get them enrolled into a Technical School such as BTVI or the Fred Delancy’s Technical School in Hawksbill.

He said the school also has an agriculture programme and prepares the students for BJC Maths and Language and Sciences. He also noted that there is a counselling programme and students have sessions every day.

He said that attendance/truant officer Decarlo Cartwright Julien has done an excellent job finding speakers for their weekly seminars.

“We have corporate partners that would come and host seminars for our boys. This is very beneficial because it provides them with valuable advice on how to resolve conflicts, and we are pleased to have partners who are able to come in and assist,” he said.

“We are trying to get them to become productive citizens in the community and our focus here is to also get the public to buy into the fact that we need to pay attention to these young men with challenges now, because later on down we will pay a big social price for it,” he said.

By DENISE MAYCOCK

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