Now the children can play

After ten years of waiting, the students at St Silas Primary, Orange Hill, St Michael finally have a new play park to call their own.

On Thursday, participants of the Prince’s Trust International Team Programme who played a significant role in designing the park officially handed over the facility to the school.

Principal Sharon Sealy said she was excited when the participants chose St Silas as the place where they wanted to carry out their community project.

She said for the past 10 years, the school made several attempts to reopen the facility so the 143 students would have somewhere to play.

“But finances was against us. So this opportunity was one we grabbed with both arms because the children wanted it and they were asking all the time ‘ma’am when are we going to get the play park fixed that we can get into it?’ Now we have a brand new play park by the efforts of the young people and that makes it even more special,” Sealy said.

The Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), in conjunction with Prince’s Trust International, a registered charitable organisation in England and Wales, embarked on a partnership to deliver the Team Programme in Barbados.

The programme is designed to assist young people between the ages of 16 to 25 who are unemployed or not engaged in any formal aspects of educational or vocational training, and who may be considered “at risk” because of these factors.

Team coordinator for the Prince’s Trust International Programme, Sergeant Hallam Jemmott said the BDS$1000 the participants raised through a fundraising effort was added to donations made by business places and individuals.

The total cost of the project was over BDS$3000.

“For the next two weeks the participants will go into job placements where they will be placed at various business places. That was designed to give them an opportunity to see what the world of work is, to look at their attitude and their aptitude towards work.

“The whole idea of the programme is to get them into the world of work. So rather than sitting down home doing nothing you prepare yourself for work” Sergeant Jemmott said.

The Sergeant said that while there have been several success stories coming from the Prince’s Trust Programme in Barbados, he was proud to report that at least two graduates have joined the RBPF and others were now working in various sectors. (AH)