Jaevion Nelson engenders hope at York Town Primary School

Human-rights advocate Jaevion Nelson has decided to give back to his former school by launching the Jaevion Nelson Future Leaders Award at the York Town Primary School, Clarendon.

Nelson saw the need for this award as the community is poor and plagued by violence. These reasons, along with his interest in development and the fact that York Town is where he grew up, meant that it was only fitting to give a ray of hope to the residents.

“I went to York Town Primary School for four years, and I am from the community, and I’ve been thinking for quite some time now, ‘What are some of the things I could do to give back to my community and help the people who might be in a less fortunate position?’” said Nelson. “I began to consider what kind of support I could give to the community and engender some kind of hope.”

The award was launched during the primary school’s prize-giving ceremony, and a total of 13 students benefited from cash awards totalling $130,000.

“Initially, the award was supposed to be $50,000, providing cash awards to two top students, who would receive $25,000 each. I had asked the principal to get applications from the students, so six students wrote very sweet letters to me saying why they should get the award,” he recalled. “After reading them, I thought maybe I should reach out to others to see if I could get some more assistance to at least give all of the students who had applied, so Peace Management Initiative reached out to me and another friend contributed some support, so that’s how we reached up to $130,000,” Nelson told The Gleaner.

Cash prize

Of the six students who applied, the two top students received $25,000 each, while the remaining four got $10,000 each. Nelson explained that he was quite impressed by one of the applicants, a young girl whose letter moved him so much that another student also benefited from the award.

“There was one student, Tashanna Brown, who, in her application letter, said if she should receive the award, she would want to use some of the money to pay for her friend who is unable to pay for his extra lessons in the evenings, so he, too, was awarded $10,000,” explained Nelson.

The remaining $30,000 was handed over to the school’s principal, Francine Swaby, to be divided among six grade-six students who are Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education beneficiaries to assist with payments for extra lessons or to buy books to help with Primary Exit Profile preparations.

Nelson explained the reason for creating such an award: “I was never a ‘top-top’ student; I did well enough to go through school and to do well, but I think leadership is an important part of how people survive and thrive in a community, and I think it’s important that we can do these sorts of awards for students who demonstrate leadership qualities but are not necessarily who are the ‘top-top’ students getting straight As.”

He further noted that there are different factors that could hinder students from getting top grades but said that if they are doing well and excelling in other areas, they should be identified.

According to Nelson, the award supports students who make important contributions to their school, community, and church while performing well academically. It seeks to inspire them to become agents of change in spite of their circumstances.

Applicants have to meet the following criteria:

- Enrolled at York Town Primary School in grade four or five;

- Have an average of 70 per cent for the academic year;

- Demonstrate involvement in and service to the school and community;

- Be a role model for others;

- Demonstrate financial need.

“I intend to continue the award. I think it is an important thing to engender hope in the community and give the students something to look for and, importantly, to assist those who are doing well and show leadership potential or are already leaders in their school, their church, and in the community,” Nelson said.

vanessa.james@gleanerjm.com