Investing in our children

THE late Whitney Houston, in her “Greatest love of all” song, reminds us that the children are our future and we should teach them well and let them lead the way, because they are the greatest love of all.The August holidays are here, though some may impose what can be considered a miseducation on the society by referring to this break from school as summer vacation. Guyana is a tropical country that has only wet and dry seasons — rain and sun — not summer, as happens in the temperate regions.
During the break, several camps are offering children opportunities to engage in improving existing skills and acquiring new ones. These augur well for children, given that ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’, as the saying goes, and ‘an idle mind is a destructive mind.’

What is referred to as our August holiday covers a period of approximately two months. This is a lot of time to waste and engage in unproductive activities when not properly planned for, and the absence of structured activities can retard intellectual growth.

A society needs all of its people, particularly the up-and-coming, which are the young, the ones who would be the leaders of tomorrow. If this demographic is properly socialized, when its time comes to produce leaders of society, it can do so productively.

There are several initiatives being embarked upon either for economic gains or re-investment by individuals and groups in communities, and these will benefit the young. Consequently, two samplings of interventions taking place are noted, given the unique potential they present for nationhood and nation-building. This, of course, is not meant to disregard the importance of other children’s activities.
United States-based Guyanese Mrs. Karen Abrams and her children, award winners of a created application to help track and prevent police brutality, are dedicating some of their summer to be in Guyana, partnering with locals and conducting workshops on robotics STEM. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are being pushed as a complement of studies geared toward a more technologically-driven world and skills needed to compete in it.
The aspect of using robots in STEM has to do with the redefining of the traditional labour force as we know it, where, in the technological age, robots are being created to replace man’s hands-on labour for the purpose of experiment, improving production and productivity, and minimising man’s exposure to hazardous activities.

What is instructive about Mrs. Abrams’s motivation to undertake this project is the story that has apparently had an indelible impression on her life. According to her, as a youth growing up in her community, some adults (sports personality Reds Pereira et al) invested in her demographic with the distribution of basketball equipment, of which she was a beneficiary. She said that in making use of the facilities when she migrated, she was competitive enough to earn herself several basketball scholarships to U.S colleges.
In the workshop, Mrs Abrams made known that one of her objectives in introducing children to the use of robots is to help them develop problem-solving skills. In our diverse society, there exists marked intolerance to opinions and alternative views of others. It is not unfair to say such has consumed too much of the nation’s time in protracted and unnecessary conflicts, where oftentimes nothing gets done or support is denied if the idea originated from another group.

The society begs for problem-solving skills, and this investment in the young — who are the future — is most appropriate at this time. Almost two-thirds of our population is 40 years and younger, and have not lived the conflicts of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Yet this demographic continues to be bombarded ever so often by their seniors about stories of these eras.
These stories are often not told from the position of solving them, but with acrimony, re-litigating and finger-pointing, which by extension contribute to holding the nation, moreso the young and their development, hostage.  Given the exposure to problem-solving knowledge, children will acquire the skills and apply the techniques in helping to take charge of their destiny.

Another area that stood out is that of the Guyana Police Force “F” Division, which has launched a two-week August Programme for Bartica youth. This programme, which targets youths aged six to 16, sees the participation of 120 involved in craft making and interactive sessions with members of that division. The Force has said that in using a team-based approach, its aim is to keep participants meaningfully engaged during the school break.
While it has potential to arm participants with life skills, this project can also positively impact on police/community relations. The police, in their search for new recruits, can find among the participants and in the community individuals who have an interest in law enforcement by either employment or providing intelligence.

Inherent in the activities stated above is the urge to impact positively on societal development. Activities of this nature must be encouraged; and, where possible, facilitated and intensified by officialdom and synergies between the diaspora and the locals.

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