Jamalco mentors were praised for their unselfishness and dedication at the Winston Jones High School mentorship club initiation ceremony held at the institution recently.
The commendation came from, Guest Speaker, Sergeant Deane Cover, of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, who praised the mentors for their participation in the programme. Sgt. Cover explained that the
lack of suitable role models in society is having an adverse effect on the youths, particularly boys, causing many to turn to gangs for support. He further noted that if society is to see the change it seeks, it first must find ways of engaging the youths by “introducing programmes that instil positive values and behavioural change to those who need it the most”.
Sergeant Cover encouraged the mentees to make use of all the opportunities that they get in
the programme to “stay on course and in line.” He also told the parents in attendance not to
get weary. “Parents let us see what we can do to help the young people now, because if we
don’t do this, our lives will become harder in the future, as some may go on to wreak havoc
and mayhem on the society.”
Principal, Dr. Marrie McLaughlin, thanked Jamalco employees for giving of themselves for the
betterment of the students. She noted that mentorship is about examining the conditions of
another human being to bring about improvement in the lives of our fellow human beings.
Turning her attention to the students, she encouraged them to make the best use of the
mentorship programme, telling them that they should not allow the lessons learnt in the
mentorship programme to be lost.
Corporate Services Manager, Donna Marie Brooks-Gordon, commended the mentors for
taking on the responsibility of caring for and guiding the mentees with whom they have no
familial ties.
Mrs. Gordon added that “being a mentor has its ups and down, but I can promise you that you
will feel satisfied at the end of the process just knowing that you have made yourself available
to stand in the gap for someone who isn’t in a position to stand in the gap for him or herself.”
During the programme, each mentee was paired with a mentor who will serve as a big
brother/sister and offer guidance and support to their mentees.
The Jamalco Mentorship Programme is currently active at the Winston Jones High, Vere
Technical and Lennon High schools.