ROCOBESS on the Rise!
Published on October 4, 2019 by Admin
An empowered youth is a promise to society. The 2018-2019 academic year saw Oracabessa High School welcoming, yet another initiative geared at making it a school of choice, placing emphasis on the holistic development of its most valuable stakeholders, the students, who ultimately contributes to the standard and culture of the school.
Youth Empowerment, the Solution.
Sports and performing arts are two ways many mainstream educational institutions choose to empower their students. What about those who love volunteerism or those who are socially inept? They too, should get a chance at improving themselves, as well as adding to nation-building and the school’s culture. It is from this understanding that the OHS Volunteerism Programme was born. Through the programme, students were given the opportunity to plan and execute projects which saw them shedding a more positive light on the school’s community.
Care packages were put together for the Port Maria Infirmary, a pedestrian crossing on Main Street, Ocho Rios was painted with the assistance of North Coast Electricals & Hardware. Pagee Beach and the road way leading to The Calabash Fisherman Beach and James Bond Beach were cleaned through collaboration with the Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica Cleanup Network.
Participants were also engaged in personal development workshops addressing matters such as, stress and time management, conflict resolution, public speaking and communication skills.
Positive Results
Participants were observed to be more goal oriented, academically focused, peaceable, and enthused to engage in meaningful activities. Through this observation the programme was rebranded to the OHS Mentorship Programme which will look at more critical self-improvement areas such as entrepreneurial skills, decorum, college and employment preparation.
Programme coordinator, Shackeria Mesquita sees the school as more than a place to engage in standardized assessment, and more so, an avenue to learn life skills. She has thus, extended her expertise and passion for youth development alongside equally passionate and competent colleagues, Julia Howard and Shanique Austin to inspire positive change among the students.
The OHS Mentorship Programme is an initiative aimed at developing critical skills for the holistic development of OHS students. The programme targets students from grades 9 to CAP.It features personal development/ skills training workshops and community- based volunteerism projects.
Facilitators of the Programmes:
- Ms Shackeria Mesquita – programme coordinator and mentor
- Ms Julia Howard – mentor
- Ms Shanique Austin – mentor