Breaking socio-economic barriers through inclusion

The St Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua (SJCM) Young Leaders group officially launched their project for this year on Friday, March 28, 2014.{{more}}

Using the theme for this year’s RBTT Young Leaders program, “Diversity: the 21st century imperative,” the SJCM adopted the topic: “Breaking socio-economic barriers through inclusion.”

Guest speaker at the launch Atiah Stephens highlighted the timeliness and importance of the topic at hand and explained to the Young Leaders that breaking socio-economic barriers begins with them. She encouraged them to become agents of change in their own communities.

Acting principal Jennifer Browne also encouraged the Young Leaders to do their best in their program and conveyed words of congratulation to the group.

Public relations officer of the group Sheeka Roberts outlined the objectives and the goals for the project:

“Our main goal is to implement sustainable strategies such as: the development of an ongoing scholarship fund, planting fruit trees, and assisting the grade six students at the Cane End Government School in preparing for their CPEA exam.

“These strategies will help to abate and further destroy barriers to inclusion, put in place by poverty, high levels of unemployment, low income earning capacity, and low levels of literacy” Roberts said.

The works of Pastor Charles Bennafield also came to light at the launch. His famous poem, “I Am Diversity,” was performed by vice president of the group Venesha Hackshaw. The launch concluded by echoing the words of the late Martin Luther King Jr: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

The 2013-2014 RBTT Young Leaders of the St Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua have decided to rise above and blaze a trail for the young leaders to come.