The Beautiful Children of Jamaica – ART Excel in the Caribbean

We've had the pure pleasure of teaching some of the, arguably, most adorable children on the planet over the past couple of weeks.  The children, aged between 8 and 11 years of age, from the RISE Foundation in Kingston and Unity Primary School in Good Hope are so full of innocence and enthusiasm, it was infectious.  Jamaicans are very affectionate as a people and these kids exemplified this quality.  Within the first hour of our 4-day, 8-hour courses, we received several hugs and kisses.  They never wanted us to leave at the end of each day’s session and truly had trouble understanding why the class had to end at all after the fourth day.  They were also very bright, eager to participate and answer questions in the class.  This was a refreshing contrast to the most of the older teenagers we had been teaching in Kingston. 

Many of the kids displayed confidence, strong leadership potential and maturity for their ages.  Particularly after teaching the course at the RISE Foundation, we felt compelled to find out more about some of the kids and see if we could help them.  Rise Foundation (www.risejamaica.org) is an organization that adopts impoverished communities in Kingston and helps them through a variety of programs – social services, violence prevention, educational services (after-school and study programs), addiction disorder services, etc.  It is a well-known and respected organization established in 1989.

During our course at RISE, there were three kids in the group that we were teaching that struck us.  We decided to approach RISE about creating a scholarship program for kids within their purview that showed promise in four key areas:

• ·      academic excellence,
• ·      leadership potential,
• ·      demonstration of human values,
• ·      and reasonable family support structure at home

After our experiences in Jamaica teaching kids at schools like Haile Selassie and juvenile detention centers like Metcalfe, it was clear to us that having some stable and supportive family structure would be critical to make these kids successful.  No matter how much funding we could drive, it seemed very difficult to be able to realize the benefits without family support.   The experts at RISE agreed.  They were excited about the idea of the scholarship program and within short order we had face-to-face meetings with the three children that we identified and their parents.  As we learned about the family situations and heard about the ambitions and desires of the children, our hearts melted.  Though we thought we would initially pilot the program with one scholarship recipient this year, after hearing their stories, we decided we would have to work out supporting all three.  RISE gently nudged us to add a few more kids to the list that had similar characteristics to the kids we identified but couldn’t meet in person.   This brought out a dilemma as we’re working with limited funds and we very much envision supporting these children through their education needs for the foreseeable future and not only helping them get through school in 2013.  This includes finding a way to provide strong mentorship and build these kids into role models for the future generation in Jamaica.  We believe this is one way to create a self-sustaining culture if we were to empower those that demonstrate human values and carry those values to the next generation(s).  A small ripple can lead to waves of change in ways we haven’t even imagined.   

With RISE’s help with administration of funds, accounting for expenditures, and monitoring the children’s progress, we feel that this scholarship program has legs, as long as we can show success in these first few kids.  Though our visit is coming to a close, it seems that our connection and responsibilities in Jamaica are far from over.  The nice thing about Jamaica is that there are a lot of opportunities to make a difference.  A little goes a long way if it’s channeled well.  This is something we are learning more about every day that we are here.

The Boys of Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Center

After a few tough weeks at Haile Selassie High School, we get ready for the worst when we walk into Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Centre on Monday June 2^nd.  This facility is the only transitional facility for boys awaiting sentencing in Jamaica.  This means the boys here come from all over the country and aren’t here for a long period of time.  Metcalfe is a sort of purgatory where boys arrested for crimes stay while they await a court date. 

We arrive early to sort out details of the course, get a tour of the facility, and find out more about the boys we’d be teaching.  We learn many things in the 1-hour.  First, according to the superintendent, the boys at Metcalfe have committed every crime you can think of – this really gives us the warm fuzzies!  The thing we found most fascinating is that some of them have been turned in by their parents and held for being ‘uncontrollable’.  Parents can have their children arrested if they are considered uncontrollable - if their children are not obeying them, not going to school, staying out all hours of the night, demonstrating reckless behavior, etc.  You see, in Jamaica, if a child is hurt or gets killed, the parents are liable (even if they are not the direct cause of the injury or death).  So, in order to protect themselves from being liable for the child hurting himself or getting himself killed through reckless behavior, the parents have him arrested under this ‘uncontrollable’ charge.  We couldn’t believe this!  Truth is stranger than fiction! 

The facilities at Metcalfe are the best we have seen to date…much better than any of the other prisons and certainly better than Haile Selassie High School.  The facility has manicured lawns and gardens, well-painted buildings, a small gym and even a small farm.  The government opened this new facility in 2011 as a response to public outcry on the poor care that juvenile offenders were receiving from the state.  There was a terrible incident back in 2009 in which 7 juveniles died at a state-run facility and it generated a great deal of negative publicity and pressure on the government to improve conditions.  According to our experiences, Metcalfe was something like the Ritz compared to all the other facilities we had visited so far and the ratio of staff to inmate boys was substantial.  The facility even had a computer lab which we haven’t seen anywhere else (not even schools).  Nevertheless, being aware of the attention spans of most teenage boys, much less juvenile delinquent teenage boys with literacy and other social issues, we were unsure about how this class would go. 

As we do more and more of this work, it is amazing how all our experiences just contribute to our growing faith…faith in the value of what we are doing, faith in the goodness in all people, and faith that love and compassion can move mountains of any size.  We begin the class explaining why we are here.  We talk about having left everything back in the states, giving up our time and money to be here with them and genuinely wanting them to have a better life.  We express we want nothing from them, we only want to give them something that may help them live better lives and be happy.  And then we ask them to give us their full commitment to be there and participate in everything for the next 5 days.  And much to our surprise, they commit.  

We can see that many of them have not received this kind of care and they are craving it.  As the days move from one to the next, the boys enjoy themselves, they put their full effort into all things and we experience hardly any disciplinary issues at all.  Now, granted, there are officers in the room to maintain order.  But even then, the amount of cooperation and respect we received, really surprised us.  When we asked one of the officers how he thought the class faired, he said that he had not seen the boys respond in this way – “there was 100% participation, complete participation.”  He further commented there were many organizations that came to Metcalfe but could not capture the boys’ attention and solicit their participation.  This was a good sign.

As the week continued, all we could see before us was a room full of sweet kids who were starved for some attention and affection.  They walk in with smiles and ready to do what we ask.  One day, it was one of the boy’s birthdays - Romario commented that he came into class rather sad because no one came to visit him on his birthday, but he left feeling happy for the first time that day (the super heard this and was stumped for words).  A few of the boys had missed a day of class because they went to court.  When we spoke to one of them named Nickoy about how the court day went, he was despondent.   It seems his mother never showed up, so the court didn’t hear his case.  He now has to stay at Metcalfe longer while he waits for another court date and hopes that his family shows up.  Hearing these stories, the compassion in us grew more and more.  These boys were simply a product of their environment.  When we thought about how preciously our children are treated (and the children of most of the families we know) it broke our hearts to see how many of these children were being neglected and even abandoned by their families.  These boys (only 12 – 17 years old) seemed so lonely and lost.  A few of them asked why we weren’t coming on Saturday and we looked at each other and responded, “now we are.” They gravitated to us and latched on because they starved to experience even the smallest amount of unconditional love.  Some say it is luck, some say it is karma – to be born into the lives and families we are born into.  Either way, we couldn’t help but feel that these boys deserved better.    

We also feel blessed to have experienced this week with them.  The YES program is amazing in short, it gives so much to these kids including bringing smiles to their faces and we feel lucky to be the ones delivering it.

A Prison Inmate From Tower Street Motivates Kids at Haile Selassie High School (HSHS)

It is always nice when an idea comes to its fruition and this was the case on June 5.  From the very first week we were teaching at HSHS in the mornings, we spent the afternoons at Tower Street maximum-security prison.  It was on a drive from the school to the prison, from teaching one class and to another, while gobbling down a sandwich and keeping eyes on the road when the idea hit us – how can we bring an inmate from the prison to speak to the kids and have him create the right motivation towards non-violent behaviors. 

Little did we realize how much prep work is required to move an inmate from one place to another!   As a starting point, it requires the consent of the commissioner of prisons.  Luckily the prison commissioner has witnessed the success of our work at the prison (i.e decrease in infractions etc.) and thus supported the idea.  This led to having a team from the prison scope out the property – this is because an inmate could have enemies on the outside that might want to hurt him and the authorities are responsible for his safety.  Correctional officers are also required to be present at the school on the day of the event. 

Jah9 rocking it in front of 750 students

The idea was to have an inmate speak to the entire school about his mistakes in the hopes that it would deter the kids at HSHS from making the same mistakes.  We were hopeful the message would make an impression and give them something to think about when they are faced with doing the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing.  This was our simple idea.  Of course, in the hands of Dushyant Savadia, International Director for the Art of Living in the Caribbean, a simple idea can often take on much grander proportions.  This was no exception.  The event, held at HSHS on the afternoon of June 5 included a speech by the HSHS' principal Lorenzo Ellis, performances by two up and coming local Jamaican artists Jah9 and Jesse Royal, 

a dynamic Martin Luther King-like speech by Mr Reuben (the inmate from Tower Street prison who has now completed 20+ years at the prison and is still not done)

Mr. Reuben, an inspirational speaker

Seema announcing the scholarships

, and most importantly an announcement to award 63 scholarships (5 per month for the student body and 2 per month to teachers) equivalent to one year’s tuition.  The scholarship titled Leadership in Human Values will be awarded to a student from each grade every month that not only demonstrate diligence in academics but also exemplifies human values such as kindness, honesty, and respect.   

The scholarships are a fabulous idea as it brings the community together.  It easies the burden on parents who cannot afford tuition fees but also drives the students to create change in the school and the community around them.  They not only have to show acts of non-violence but also demonstrate they are driving the notion of non-violence in school, the neighborhood and the community.  These scholarships are a great way to incent the behavioral change we teach in class every day.  

Hanging with the kids and teachers at HSHS after the program

In addition, Seema has been asked to be the Art of Living overall project lead at HSHS for the coming year – including taking responsibility for selecting students for the scholarships, helping with fundraising, and running other programs.  If we thought our work would come to an end in July, we were mistaken!

A Weekend of Rest & Relaxation in Port Antonio...

This past weekend, we had the chance to put the tourist hat on and venture out of Kingston.   This was a much-needed rest as our weekday is quite hectic.  We leave the house at 7:30am just to get back home at approximately 5pm with little to no time for lunch on most days.  At first, this seems no difference than the normal work-day.  But when you add the fact that there's no place to use a bathroom until we reach home, things get interesting!   If that’s not enough, neither the prison nor the school have a comfortable teaching room so we’re located in hot & humid rooms with no air-conditioning and the electric fans that have seen better times.  We really did need to get away for a few days and just kick back!

So, last Wednesday, we took the 2.5-hour drive to PortAntonio on the Northeast coast of Jamaica.  Our map suggested we take highway A3 up North until we hit the Caribbean Sea and than turn east until we approach Port Antonio.  Now, the first learning was that a Highway is not what we’ve come to expect.  In fact, not sure we would even call it a well-paved road.  In some parts, paved road is an overstatement!  With some luck and prayers, we made it safely to our rented villa!  Driving in Jamaica is not for those with a weak stomach; in fact it reminds me of how we drive in Kenya...you end up watching out for potholes, pedestrians and animals more than the approaching cars!

We got lucky with our rental.  The villa was quite nice – perched atop a hill, it provides stunning views of both the Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea. 

Port Antonio is not a well-known tourist stop which is nice in many ways.  Most tourists who come to Jamaica tend to visit Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and/or Negril.   However, a number of movies including Cocktail, Blue Lagoon, Knight & Day,  & Denzel Washinton’s Mighty Quinn were shot here because of the beautiful beaches.  








In particular, Frenchman’s Cove is a stunning beach.  The relaxed beach with fresh river-water running into the sea provides an amazing experience on the beach. The colors are stunning, both greens & blues and warm & cold water.  The adjacent pictures provide an idea of how lovely the beach is.

Rainfall not far from our villa

This area is also known for its rainfall and this we experienced in abundance.  However, the rain comes and goes with the wind (literally) so one can experience a good amount of sunshine and rain in the same day.  The picture on the left shows rainclouds not more than a mile or two away dumping its water into the ocean.  This itself was quite an experience.  

The flowers and lizards were all very colorful!

4 days was too short.  It all seems so long ago and now back to work!