Kenneth Russell | Tackling triple threat to children and adolescents this summer

Beryl has disrupted our summer and, in some cases, wrecked lives. For children, adolescents, and youth, it is an additional challenge to the triple threat they are facing this summer. They face the triple threat of loss of learning, high temperatures and unpredictable weather events, and diminished mental health. As we prepare for these and other uncertainties, it is crucial to focus on children, adolescents, and youth due to their increased vulnerability during the summer months when they are often out of school and are not well supervised.

LOSS OF LEARNING

The evidence regarding the effect of summer break on a child’s learning is clear. The two months of summer break result in what is called “the summer slide”, where children lose up to half of what they learned in a school year in mathematics and reading. With already low levels of learning, we cannot afford this reversal of gains.

While most primary schools offer summer programmes, these should extend beyond traditional summer school to offer longer hours and more days. Government should subsidise these programmes to encourage learning new ideas and ways of being. Summer is an excellent time to experiment with technology, play, and sports-based approaches. Such programmes should emphasise teamwork, collaborative learning, and exploration of community spaces. This approach allows learning continuity, provides a safe and cool space for children, and reawakens their interest in learning.

It is in the interest of the government and the society broadly to ensure access to low or no-cost learning opportunities for children, adolescents, and youth for the summer period. While it may not address all the potential losses in learning, it ensures that children and adolescents continue to engage in activities that stimulate their minds and prepares them for their return to the classroom in the new school year.

HIGHER TEMPERATURES AND UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER

A category 5 hurricane in July. A brief shower of rain floods Spanish Town. The times and the climate are changing.

One could dismiss these as generational events, yet so much of what is happening suggests otherwise. Take, for instance, the fact that Jamaica experienced its hottest summer in 2023. Locally and globally, the trend is towards higher temperatures year-round and more intense and unpredictable weather events.

For our children, adolescents, and young people, heat is a great threat to their health and well-being.

Exposure to elevated temperatures is associated with higher levels of stress and frustration among adolescents and youth. Increased temperatures affect routines such as sleep and can lead to serious mental and other health issues. Summer is also marked by disruption in water supplies, which increases the risk of dehydration.

Adolescents and young people are also at risk of drowning as they seek to cool down and experiment by swimming in water bodies, including standing water left after Beryl. While summer is a great time to learn to swim, it is risky if done unsupervised.

Ensuring a sense of normalcy for children and young people during the summer months, especially if disrupted by weather events, is essential. Finding collective ways to beat the heat or respond to weather events is critical. Community-based activities that take advantage of long summer evenings, such as games, sports, drama, music, and arts, are beneficial. These should be affordable and easy to organise such as setting up a table with a pack of dominoes or a skipping rope.

EROSION OF MENTAL HEALTH

Those lazy, hot days of summer will wear you down. They take a toll on those most vulnerable, including adolescents and young people.

Our young people worry about their future and are under significant pressure to perform. The heat, lack of meaningful activities to engage in, and concerns about the future significantly affect their mental health. Transitioning from school and college increases their anxiety, especially in a chaotic post-pandemic world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of every seven adolescents (10-19 years old) live with a diagnosed mental-health condition. A UNICEF Jamaica 2022 study reported heightened levels of anxiety among almost one of every four children. In a consultation with young people at Moneague College about six months ago, young people identified mental health as one of their major concerns.

For adolescents and youth who already have a mental-health condition, professional support is really important. Sadly, the various services in the education and health systems remain woefully understaffed.

Luckily, on the preventative side, there is a lot that can be done to build environments that support mental resilience. According to WHO, it requires us to help adolescents and young people develop healthy sleep patterns; exercise regularly; develop coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills; and learn to manage emotions. This starts at home, but schools and the wider community are also important in protecting and supporting children and adolescents.

Government and community groups should create opportunities for children to not only learn, but also play, serve, and be occupied in productive ways. These serve as opportunities for self-expression, learning new skills and about themselves, building new connections to others, and improving their self-image.

Where adolescents and young people are working for the summer, it should be in safe and empowering spaces that help them build their skills while contributing to nation-building. The renewal of the Youth Summer Employment Programme is welcome in this regard, but the demand far exceeds the proposed 10,000 beneficiaries. This number should be doubled to at least 20,000.

Various government entities also offer summer internships and work opportunities. These should be closely aligned with a clearly defined basic curriculum to guide the learning and development of participants.

The three threats are closely linked and can be addressed with a holistic programme, much of which can be led by young people.

How we use the summer months will determine the well-being of children when they retun to school or transition to work. Business as usual will not suffice.

Kenneth Russell is the PNP candidate for member of parliament for South East St Ann and the deputy shadow minister, education and community development. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.