JPEMSS launches 2009/2010 Young Leaders project

The Dr JP Eustace Memorial Secondary School (JPEMSS) Young Leaders believe that a sound mind is the key to a healthy body.{{more}}

That is the theme of the JPEMSS Young Leaders project for 2009/2010. The group launched its project on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, at the school in Edinboro.

The sub theme, written in Latin: “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano”, translates as “A sound mind in a healthy body.”

Speaking at the ceremony, President of the JPEMSS young leaders Sarafina Bailey noted that whollistic wellness involves health of the physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects of an individual. Bailey said that a quality life is directly related to an individual’s lifestyle habits.

Giving the feature address, Dr. Lennox Adams urged the students to take care of their bodies while they are young to avoid health issues later on in life. “What you have to understand as a teenager is that the decisions you make now are going to affect your health somewhere along the road,” Adams stressed.

Adams noted that one of the major problems in St. Vincent is that many young people are beginning to experience health problems at a younger age. Adams mentioned illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

He also mentioned that young people may not heed the advice of older persons’ of what health problems to expect when they get older. “Some of them laugh it off and say that could never be me,” Adams said.

Adams during his speech related a story of a young man who because of his alcohol consumption and smoking habits at a young age died before he was thirty-five. Adams explained to the students that if the young man had made a positive decision about his health it may have led to a longer life.

Also giving remarks, Senior Education Officer Carlton Hall implored the students to develop self discipline in order to make themselves better leaders and individuals on a whole.

He also called upon students to be examples for the younger students. Hall said that self-discipline brings about a better mind and body and that teachers and students will have fewer problems at school if students develop self discipline.

The group has several activities planned, including the creation of back yard garden at the school, a sponsored walk, a lecture series, visits to the Lewis Punnet Home and the male and female prisons and a “Set your Heart Free” day event scheduled for February 13, 2010.