…children participate in ‘cassava harvesting’ activity

By Trina Williams
THE President’s Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) programme expanded its scope on Saturday to involve youths of all ages in an agricultural activity, namely harvesting cassava, in an effort to increase youth expression and social cohesion.

The PYARG is known for involving young Guyanese in activities including volunteer work, physical events, skill development, and even daring adventures.
Executive Officer of the PYARG, Ivan Bentham, in an interview with the Sunday Chronicle explained the intention behind the organisation selecting an agricultural activity.

“The [PYARG] which falls under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport strives to engage young people in training programmes and training activities to help boost and stimulate their interests, and also to give them a platform where they can express their interests, and also express themselves in a learning environment,” Bentham contended.

He added that the organisation chose to host an agricultural activity to highlight the direction Guyana is headed in and to educate the youth about the importance of food because not only is agriculture one of the main pillars of our economy but also, that Guyana is food secure.

Bentham asserted that developing young people’s potential is necessary for the country to advance and that this can be done through both formal and informal education initiatives.

A number of youths from various schools and extra-curricular clubs were present at the event which was hosted at the National Sports Commission (NSC), Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

The activity was launched with a game of musical chairs as an icebreaker to get the young ones to communicate and feel comfortable.

Moreover, the youngsters asked the PYRAG representatives various questions as the harvesting got underway, not only about the cassava, but also on how one can maintain healthy soil for thriving fruits and vegetables.

Hailing from Providence Primary school, six young ladies, accompanied by their teacher, Miss Smith, were extremely elated about the programme.

Ten-year-old Adrianna Waddell expressed happiness at how much she was able to engage with participants. The Providence Primary pupil claimed that she and her classmates enjoyed having the task of preparing the soil for planting the cassava.

Miss Smith told the Sunday Chronicle that when she learnt about the event and shared it with her pupils, all of them expressed interest; however, she said she was a tad-bit disappointed as she could not include all of them.

According to Miss Smith, the programme’s skills are designed to help participants adopt the proper attitude so they can become respectable members of society. And with that, she praised the programme, pointing out that it gives participants greater economic, cultural, organisational, social, and communal autonomy while also enhancing their psychological skills.

The pineapple plant that was established at the farm in the NSC compound caught the attention of 16-year-old Isabella St’ Aubryn from Tutorial High School and her classmates, Akeila Sarrabo and Faith Jack because of the abnormal color of the leaves.

The leaves were a dull green instead of the customary lush green. In response, they were told that the plant was lacking some nutrients.

More so, when asked what they thought ought to be done, the girls suggested either purchasing fertiliser or “starting back from scratch”.

Some of the youths who spoke with this newspaper noted that they discovered PYARG while taking part in a map-reading activity last year. Driven by the fun they had on the previous occasion, they said they just had to come back for another event.