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!

What could make teaching at a maximum-security prison seem like a cake-walk? Teaching at Haile Selassie High School.

Day 0 – Sunday Night, May 12 – Meet Justin McGurrin

Knowing that we were about to start teaching the kids at Haile Selassie High School (located in the neighborhood of Trench Town in Kingston – this is where Bob Marley wrote many of his songs and is basically the slums of Kingston) which is known for its discipline and violence issues, we called in for reinforcements.  Enter Justin McGurrin, an Art of Living teacher experienced in teaching high school kids in challenging environments.  Justin is a legend among the teachers who teach the YES! (Youth Empowerment Seminar) program and we were so lucky to be able to get him to come down to Kingston for a week to help set the stage and rhythm for the next several weeks during which we were to teach a big portion of the students at HSHS.  And thank God we did…we didn’t realize how much we really needed him until the week started.

Day 1 – Monday Morning, May 13 – A Lesson in Making Connections

It was a different world that we had just entered.  As humans, we all behave according to a set of social norms determined by our upbringing, environment, etc.  What a shock it was to observe, much less teach, within the social norms at HSHS.   They were so foreign to our own school experiences, which entailed actually remaining quiet and listening to the teacher.  These kids would often use name-calling and hitting to deal with conflict – even in class.  One native Jamaican friends described the culture of the children as one of ‘‘arrested development” – the kids are sweet, full of smiles and enthusiasm with a sense of innocence on one hand, but they are also very physical in their expression of emotion, whether it by reacting violently to everyday situations or in their level of sexual activity at a young age.  They operated in a very adult world, dealing with adult situations that most other children rarely deal with, yet their mental maturity didn’t seem to match their level of life experience.  It’s like they were children trying desperately to have a childhood though their circumstances were determined to rob them of that childhood.  Monday began a lesson in learning how to break up fights before they escalated – a good skill to have, I suppose.  Attention spans lasted not much longer than a 30-second TV commercial in many cases.  Some kids were texting, listening to music or otherwise playing on cell phones throughout the class while others just leaned forward and went to sleep.  According to the teachers, this behavior was typical.  After the end of the first 2-hour session, all three of us got into the car (Justin, Devan, and I) and were about to head out to grab a quick bite before heading to teach at the men’s prison, feeling doubtful that we made any impact on the kids at all.  Then Justin shared a secret and a valuable lesson – he said he would always go to a school a week in advance of teaching and just hang out and around so the kids could meet and see him.  He also made the effort to learn each and every kid's name in the class.  Doing these things would create a connection and bond between him and them that would allow him to get through to kids that others couldn’t reach.  He said just remember, with kids “they don’t care what you know until they know you care”.   So we turned the car around and went back to the school to just ‘hang out’ and interact with the kids.  Not only was it fun, but we could also tell it was making an impact.  This is a lesson we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.  Making a personal connection makes all the difference in the world.  Thanks Justin.

Day 2 – Tuesday Morning, May 14 – A Discussion in Devil Worship

One thing I forgot to mention is that Jamaica is a Christian country – a VERY Christian country.  Mainly, this means that many people are very kind and respectful.  But, it also means that there are some people that are a bit more extreme in their views.  We experienced this first hand at HSHS.  Apparently, there were two teachers from the faculty (whom we taught in the adult class the week before) that claimed that what we were teaching was demonic, devil-worship, etc.  Why did they say this?  It seems that it boiled down to just a few yoga stretches.  During the class, we usually teach something called Sun-Salutations, which is nothing more than a series of 12 yoga poses that provides a whole body workout.  Based on the fact that it is called ‘Sun-Salutations’ and that there is a position that is often called ‘Cobra’, the teachers interpreted the teaching as worshipping the snake (i.e., the devil).  We further discovered that they had been speaking to many of the students and filling their heads with the same fears.  We began Tuesday morning’s class with an open and direct discussion about this topic, with the support of the principal, Lorenzo Ellis.  We began by clarifying as much we could.  We then asked the kids to speak openly about any concerns they had and addressed those too.  The main message from both the principal and us was – experience things for yourself and judge for yourself.  It was so interesting to us how easily unfounded fears can be instilled into the mind of a young person.  What we felt most badly about was that the kids who really were troubled about the whole thing were really frightened to the point of thinking that doing a simple yoga stretch could invite evil spirits into their lives.  Fear is a funny thing.  It is, in many cases, a complete figment of our imaginations, yet it can stop us from living our lives.  A small dose is healthy to make sure you don’t cross the street when cars come, but in excess, it is crippling.  Here is a quote from Plato that says it all:

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”

Day 3 – Wednesday Morning, May 15 – We Get More Clued In

We continue to face challenges, but today we start to get more insights into why.  As mentioned on day 1, the behavioral norms among the kids were foreign to us.  Now we begin to get some clues as to why.  Many of the kids are asking us to buy them a juice or lunch.  At first it seems that they are just trying to take advantage of us.  But after speaking to Ms. Jackie Bryan (guidance counselor and saint, by our standards) we find out that many of the kids don’t have food to eat during the day.  Some of the kids have government assistance for meals, but the program only covers 3 days of the week!  So, they essentially have to go hungry on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  How can these kids study when their stomachs are empty??!!! Our hearts almost broke when we heard this.  From then on, we arranged with Jackie to feed any kid from any of our classes that needed it, but made sure it remained anonymous.  We started to realize how much of a challenge these kids face in all aspects of their lives.  Jackie enlightened us further with some other stories of real students’ situations.  She spoke of a girl who was a top student at the school when she first came as a counselor to HSHS.  This student told Jackie that she had to study under her bed with a flashlight at night because a light on at night in her room would attract gunfire and she was afraid that she would get shot.  Jackie told the story of another girl who was living with her older boyfriend (27 years old…this is, unfortunately, not uncommon as parents can’t afford to take care of their children and girls find other ways of survival by living with an older man/boyfriend who takes interest in them – these men play both father-figure and lover to these girls).  The boyfriend was helping this student pay for her exams and study, etc.   One day this boyfriend was walking on the wrong street and was shot and killed (gang territory divides often govern the neighborhoods in these areas).  This young girl lost her benefactor/father-figure/lover in a split second.  He was the only family she knew.  She told Jackie that she would still take her exams and do her best for him.  We also found out that many of the kids in our class are reading at only a first grade level though they are in ninth.  Hearing all this, we felt both helpless and inspired to do more at the same time.  On the one hand, we felt the need to work harder to get through to these kids and provide tools and knowledge that could help them be happy no matter what their situation.  On the other hand, we felt grossly underequipped to help them truly make a life change given the complex issues they faced.  And yet, they were just children having to deal with a host of problems that many of us privileged adults have never even come across.  Knowing all this, their ‘misbehavior’ took on a completely different light and the compassion in us grew leaps and bounds. 

Day 4 – Thursday Morning, May 16 – A Frightening Insight Hits

We are trying the idea of breaking the bigger group of about 50 kids into smaller groups in order to reach out to them on a more personal level.  The goal was to see if we could foster more intimacy and trust between them and us and get them more focused at the same time.  We are having mixed levels of success.  However, the first time we try this and we demonstrate that we know the their names, many of them are really impressed.  What a difference it made just to know their names!  Thanks again Justin!  We are achieving incremental improvements with this ‘circle time’ method.  It dawned on me that the job of teaching these kids is not for the faint of heart.  It takes a true warrior to keep coming back everyday full of energy to give after having been deflated the day before.  In fact, we only half-joked that we looked forward to teaching at the maximum-security prison in the afternoons, which we found to be relaxing after the trying mornings at the high school!   I had a frightening realization when we were at the prison that afternoon.  In the morning, at the high school, we were teaching these children who were the victims – victims of neglect, abuse, violence, economic disadvantage, etc.  And in the afternoon, we were teaching the culprits – the people who committed the violence and abuse. I could see how the inmates were all once children just like the ones at HSHS and it was so clear to me that many of these children were on a path to achieve the same fate as the people at Tower Street prison.  This is the reality of the vicious cycle in society unless someone intervenes.  I realized that sometimes it’s critical to look beyond a person’s circumstances and even their behavior to find the good in them.  It’s not always visible to the naked eye, it takes an open heart to see it…but it is definitely there.  The experiences at the prisons reinforced this important lesson.  Sri Sri RaviShankar (the founder of Art of Living) created the Prison program we are now teaching because he believes:

“Inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. That person is also a victim of ignorance, small-mindedness and lack of awareness. It’s the stress, lack of broad vision about life, lack of understanding, and bad communication that leads to violence in society.”

I have now experienced this truth first hand.  My only hope was that, in some small way, maybe we were helping to break that vicious cycle for some of these kids.

Day 5 – Friday, May 17 –  Celebration

On the drive to school we reviewed, as we always did, the teaching plan for the day.  We discuss what’s working/not working and any new ideas or strategies we have to engage the kids.  Justin reminds us that regardless of whether knowledge actually penetrates into the kids’ heads, what matters most is our presence.  If we are embodying what we are teaching – calmness, centeredness, wisdom, and human values – we are planting the seeds in them that can flourish at any time.  It was the last day of class with this batch of kids.  As the days have gone by, we can see that some of the kids really feel close to us.  We have been successful in creating some bonds and that is gratifying to know.  At the end of the class, we celebrate with some dance music, and a handful of the kids stay back just to hang out and be with us (see the video)…today we feel we might have done at least something right.