RISE and D&G Foundation’s ‘Pon Anodda Level’ programme gains momentum

RISE Life Management Services and Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation are celebrating the ongoing success of their ‘Pon Anodda Level’ Underage Drinking Prevention Programme as they surpass programme targets.

Since its launch, the $12.8-million initiative, sponsored by D&G Foundation, has reached more than 2,300 children and 200 guidance counsellors across the island. At the recent guidance counsellors’ workshop, held at Church Teachers’ College in Mandeville, Manchester on January 26, both organisers and participants shared an eagerness for the remaining events of phase one.

“When the programme began, we intended to engage the students directly through summer camp programmes and classroom-based initiatives. We have successfully achieved that goal in at least nine parishes islandwide and directly targeted their guidance counsellors who make a tremendous impact on their lives daily. Counsellors are certainly a force for behavioural change, so we thought it was a great idea to also speak with and share as many resources as possible before entering the classroom,” expressed RISE Life Management Programme Manager Shawn McGregor.

Since the start of the partnership in June 2023, RISE and D&G Foundation have impacted more than 2,200 youths through forums, including a series of summer camps, workshops and classroom-based teaching sessions. This latest activity in Manchester (region 5) marks the start of what both organisations expect to be a robust year of engagement.

“Our goal is to engage 55,000 students during the three-year engagement. We have already onboarded over 200 counsellors, over 100 more than the target. As we focus on engaging the youth in Manchester, today’s guidance counsellors’ session proved essential. Equipped with insights into underage gambling and drinking, they are now empowered with the necessary knowledge and resources to effectively prevent and minimise the impact of these harmful activities on the students they serve,” added McGregor.

As they get ready to welcome the D&G Foundation and RISE Life Management Services into their classrooms over the next few months, participating counsellors such as Marjorie Ricketts from Robins Hall Primary and Infant School are expressing gratitude for the programme’s holistic approach and its potential to instil values early on, before students reach high school.

Ricketts’ sentiments echo those of more than 50 counsellors who actively participated in the event, reaffirming the programme’s impact at both primary and secondary levels.

D&G Foundation Accountant Dennis Beckford commended the RISE team’s unwavering dedication and anticipates the programme’s continued success as it progresses through its three-year journey.

“This initiative will run for three years, each phase commencing during the summer holiday. So far, we have seen the tremendous dedication of the RISE team in helping us on this most necessary journey of creating a culture of responsibility. We’ve witnessed both youths and counsellors embrace the information and activities being shared, especially since RISE has been so creative and intentional in the structure of this programme. We are proud of the results we’ve seen so far, and we look forward to closing out phase one strongly,” affirmed D&G Foundation Accountant Dennis Beckford.