Cosmetology students benefit from mission trip

The administration and students of Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, have been making an impact on communities in Jamaica.

A visit to the St Patrick’s Foundation in Seaview Gardens was one of the most mutually beneficial stops the group made on their trip.

“This is a part of our mission trip for school, but we also come to experience the culture of Jamaica, and we love it here,” said Chloe Clifford, a student visiting from the school.

As part of the visit to the St Patrick’s Foundation, the students paid to have their hair groomed by the cosmetology trainees at the institution. This offers both practice for the trainees and a service that the Canadians enjoy for a donation to the training programme.

“The money that the students pay for the services is put back into the training programme,” said Sandrina Davis, general manager of St Patrick’s Foundation. “The funds are used to enhance the training programme so the trainees can be ready for the certification by HEAR trust/NTA.”

According to Roneague Gordon, cosmetology instructor, the trainees also benefit from the visit on a personal level.

“The students here (St Patrick’s Foundation) get to experience and handle hair of a different texture, and the diversity is also good practice for them,” she said. “They get to engage in conversation with them as communication task is part of the teaching course, so it is always good for them to practise these things.”

The students from Holy Cross were happy with the results. “All my friends look so good,” said Clifford. “I love it.”

These same sentiments were echoed by the other students who opted to get their hair done.

fun stop

Vaya Agostino, one of the teachers at Holy Cross, said that she was pleased to see the students happy and that it was one of the fun stops for them before they had to go back home.

“We are always happy to come here and have the students experience this,” she said.

The mission trip for this year included presenting cheques to St Margaret’s Church, building a house for Food for the Poor, donating to the basic school in Riverton City, and visiting the St Patrick’s Foundation.

The St Patrick’s Foundation is a non-profit human and community development organisation established in 1994 with the aim of alleviating human suffering and offering support to people in poor communities, empowering them to become self-reliant and responsible citizens.