GoodHeart | Youths pay it forward with beautification project

Nothing says “welcome to a new school year” like adding a bit of colour and art to the compound where children will spend most of their days. And for Elite Basic School in Seaview Gardens, the welcome looked quite bright with the help of youths from the Dream Big for Youth Foundation. But, selecting this project wasn’t a random decision, instead, it was a move to pay it forward.

Born and raised in Seaview Gardens, Antoine Lodge, founder and lead volunteer of the foundation, felt it was only right to include his old “safe haven” in the foundation’s give-back efforts.

“When I attended this school, there were people I could count on, even after I moved on to primary and high school. There were days I had issues at home, and I would come to the school and stay with the principal, Aunty Andrea, who never left me, even when I found myself in trouble … I used to help the teachers and [would] teach the children poems after school. From then, I [noticed] a few needs that could improve the school, and I would always say to Aunty Andrea that one day me aguh come back and help out,” Lodge told GoodHeart.

After sharing the story with his team, the execs pulled together to seek and raise funds for the first phase of the beautification project, which focused on painting the playground and the surrounding walls. Aiming to create a homely environment for the students to return to, the small group of volunteers, including teacher Natoya Simmonds-Berry and head cook Karren Robinson, joined in with rollers, brushes, and blue, black, and yellow paints to tackle different areas. Robinson found joy in preparing meals for the volunteers, a role she has proudly carried out at the school since 2017. While, painter Robert Dawson added a special touch, skilfully spray painting the national heroes on one section.

Simmonds-Berry, a class-one teacher for the past five years, knows the kids will be thrilled to see the school come to life. Mimicking how she imagines the students’ reactions, she smiled and said, “I can just hear them saying, ‘Look, teachers! The slides are so beautiful, just look at the colours!’”

IMPORTANCE OF SHAPING YOUNG MINDS

Principal Nicole Salmon, affectionately known as Aunty Andrea, shared her pride in seeing a past student take on such an initiative. “It demonstrates the importance of shaping young minds in a meaningful and positive manner. The possibilities are endless what their outcome can be. I remember this same ‘student would normally ask me, ‘Would you allow me to teach at your school one day? I would just smile and say ‘Yes, Antoine’. Today, I am esteemed to have asked him to be a member of our school board.”

Relatively new to the scene, the Dream Big for Youth Foundation focuses on personal and professional growth for both team members and at-risk youths volunteers. Lodge shared that this first project benefits not only the school but also the team, helping them develop their interpersonal skills.

“The vision is to help prepare youths for the professional world ... It’s a corporate cry that many youths do not know how to operate in the workspace, which corporate has an issue with. We want to assist at-risk youths in their personal lives, those sometimes considered the ‘bottom of the barrel,’ to become self-aware and self-confident. We then help them with professional development, sending them into the workspace and bringing them onto projects like this to give them a sense of belonging and a role in society,” Lodge shared.

As for the next phase of the project, the team is aiming to continue the beautification efforts in the classrooms and eventually, the exterior of the building. If interested in supporting the project or becoming a volunteer, you may contact the foundation on Instagram via their handle @dreambigyouthfoundation_.

rollesha.laing@gleanerjm.com