Angel’s Care Foundation empowers youths

April 5 was a day of educating and equipping the youths with the tools they will need to enter the workplace or develop the mindset needed for entrepreneurship when Angel’s Care Foundation hosted its youth-empowerment seminar.

A number of experts and successful entrepreneurs were present for the event, which was held under the theme, ‘Youth Today, Adult Tomorrow; Build the Foundation Now’. They gave exciting and informative presentations to the students, who watched with rapt attention and participated by asking relevant questions.

The day started with prayer then the welcome and opening remarks. This was followed by Peter Mahon, Scotiabank Constant Spring branch manager, who spoke about entrepreneurship. He said one has to deliver value in the form of good service and keep seeking out new ideas, especially beyond their current industry, in order to remain relevant.

Jeffery Azan of Select ‘N’ Start delivered a message on personal development and gave the students guidelines to help them keep moving forward, and not remain stagnant in a job. To get his point across and in a relatable manner Azan shared his own personal experiences of downfall and having to rebuild himself. Azan stressed the importance of having the right thought and mental attitude to ‘level up’.

Conrad Mathison, managing director of It’s Pixel Perfect, also used his personal experiences to explain his formula for success in entrepreneurship (earnings= exposure + experience + education). He broke down each segment and showed how it applies to his life, the result being the company that he currently heads.

Ann-Marie Lewis, career development officer at the H eart Trust/NTA, spoke about career readiness and encouraged the students to learn a skill, as this allows them to be self-empowered, and possibly self-employed.

Abstinence ‘still mek sense’

To ensure other areas were covered, Chantal Folkes of the Jamaica Family Planning Board, spoke on the importance of sexual reproductive health. She also debunked rumours and ideas surrounding sexually transmitted infections and provided tips on how to remain safe when sexually active. Folkes, however, stressed and reminded the students why abstinence ‘still mek sense’.

Students of Papine High School, Vauxhall High School and SOS Children’s Village benefited from the day-long seminar and expressed their pleasure of being in attendance.

“The two speakers (Peter Mahon and Jeffrey Azan) were inspiring, the third one made me want to complete a lot of barriers when I leave school, and Ms Lewis convince me to get involved in the ‘working world’ summer coming,” said Romario Hendricks of Vauxhall High School.

Karesha Dixon also said the speakers inspired her, and she had learnt a lot from the event.

Tashina Brissett, president of the foundation, said members of Angel’s Care Foundation plan to make this an annual event as it had been beneficial to the youths they are trying to reach.