Some 400 young men from secondary schools across Trinidad received a rare, first-hand glimpse into the personal lives of several public figures when they attended the 2016 Annual Junior Achievement Student Conference.
Organised by Junior Achievement of T&T (JATT), the student conference, held at the auditorium of Queen’s Hall recently, took on an almost evangelical tone as the youths heard from former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, musician David Rudder, religious leader Pastor Clive Dottin, RBC Royal Bank MD Darryl White, and youth mentors Nikolai Edwards and Ashton Blandin.
The session, titled Maximising Manhood, Exploring Opportunity for Growth and Empowerment, was hosted in collaboration with RBC Royal Bank and underscored the bank’s commitment to youth development.
A release said the attendance by President Anthony Carmona, who stayed to the end of the session, demonstrated his interest in the welfare of the youth and his support of the JA/RBC initiative to guide and empower the nation’s young people.
“This initiative today is critical to the positive development of the young men of our country. We believe in you and are confident you will succeed in whatever you put your mind to. If anyone of you here needs help, or you just need to talk, my office is open to everyone,” the President assured the youths.
The ambience at Queen’s Hall provided the perfect setting for the compelling interactive exercise. The primary aim of the conference is to prepare young people to succeed in a global economy by providing them with knowledge, skills and meaningful exposure to inspirational mentors to reinforce their desire to be successful in life.
This Junior Achievement/RBC collaboration represents one facet of the bank’s corporate youth development platform which is underpinned by its flagship project, the RBC Young Leaders Programme which helps young people develop leadership skills, apply teamwork in pursuit of common goals foster care for the community and the environment.
In his usual engaging style, former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday recounted his early years in St Julien’s Village, Princes Town, where he walked barefoot to and from school—four miles each way on a gravel road. He had a dream to be the best he could be and pursued it to become Prime Minister of T&T.
“You must dream what you want to be and you must have a plan to fulfil that dream. There will be obstacles along the way but you must approach these obstacles as instruments for what you want to achieve. If you keep dreaming and thinking positively, avenues will open up for you. Dream! Dream! Dream!” he exhorted the students.
RBC Royal Bank MD Darryl White, told the audience that RBC welcomed the opportunity to partner with Junior Achievement in its objective to empower young people. “The most critical investment that we can ever make is in people and that is exactly what we are doing here today. There is a clear recognition at RBC that any investment in our youth is an investment in nation-building,” he told the audience.
The RBC head advised the young men to follow three attributes in their lives—humility, hunger and to be smart. “We must have respect for inclusion and diversity and recognise that everyone needs their own personal space to develop. We must give others the opportunity to achieve and become the best they can be. We must be emotionally connected with persons we are trying to help. We must have a sense of social awareness and responsibility and recognise the need to give back to society,” White advised.
He urged the young men to be “intellectually curious” which, he noted, gives birth to inventions and innovations and “drives us to create things that are unique”.
Former National Calypso Monarch, David Rudder, gave a moving account of how he was diagnosed with polio just after his first birthday, but, as he asserted, “I never let it get me down.” After practising his craft for 22 years, he said he finally became “an overnight success” in 1986 when he swept all major national calypso competitions. “Everyone wants instant fame, instant glory. You have to work at what you want to achieve. It does not come overnight,” he cautioned.
In his down-to-earth manner, Pastor Dottin recalled the hardships he faced as a child, growing up in Cadiz Road, Belmont, with his mother as a single parent in a one-bedroom home. “We must have the courage and the value system to combat the drug trade and rescue our young people. With faith in God and commitment to excellence and truth, we will triumph and be victorious,” he told the teenagers.
Nikolai Edwards, vice chairperson, Policy, Advocacy and Projects, Commonwealth Youth Council, spoke about the personal challenges he faced when his father was shot in a failed escape attempt at the Royal Jail, Port-of-Spain. He said he had the fortitude to overcome that obstacle and urged the teenagers to do the same if they faced obstacles in their lives.
Rio Claro-bred Ashton Blandin, a young agriculturalist, said he was engaged in an altercation with someone at the age of 17 and was sent to the Youth Training Centre, and eventually to the Maximum Security Prison. “Prison is no bed of roses. I want you to wake up, contribute, pay attention, absorb and share what you learn here today,” he urged the youths.
In an interactive session with the panellists, several of the students gave touching personal stories of their current situation, some admitting to deviant behaviour. They said, however, that they were motivated and inspired by the wisdom and sincerity of the presenters and pledged to follow their advice.
“This exercise was mind-blowing. We had these successful people talking about the challenges that faced when they were young and how they had the strength to overcome them and go on to great things in life. If they can do it, we all can. This is an experience I will never ever forget,” said 17-year old Mayaro Secondary student, Kofi Chase.
Earlier, JA Executive Director J Errol Lewis, who opened the conference, told corporate T&T that “now is not the time to cut back on the development of our young people. Now is the time to invest in them” as he thanked RBC Royal Bank for investing in the future of the young men, and the management of Queen’s Hall for offering the venue free of charge.