Project S.O.F.T prepares new students for secondary school

Just over 40 children preparing to start their journey at secondary school next month were on Wednesday reminded that every decision has consequences.

Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams told the participants of the National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) Project Safeguarding Our Future (S.O.F.T) Camp being held at the Eastern Caribbean Bible Camp, Ruby, St Philip, it was therefore important they make positive choices to avoid undesirable outcomes.

“Choose the things that lead to success and leave out the things that lead to failure and imprisonment. I just want to wish you all the best of luck going forward because secondary school is an exciting time as you get to try a lot of new things, you get to meet different people, you come into yourself, and you find yourself,” Abrahams said.

Delivering a pep talk to the children, Minister Abrahams further warned the young charges to stay focused and avoid detractors and bad influences as they choose their own paths.

“Other people failing is a matter for them, not you. If you are working hard and you are focused, you don’t have to worry about other people failing; they may not have worked as hard as you did. The one person that you can control in this whole world is you. 

“The only person that you can control in this entire world is yourself. Whose opinion matters most to you? The most important opinion for any of you should be your own. How do you see yourself? If you see yourself as succeeding, you don’t have to care what anybody else thinks. If everybody thinks you are going to fail and you believe you are going to succeed, then you work for it, and you prove them wrong. 

“If you start to worry too much about what other people think, then you let them influence you, then peer pressure comes in, then people can get you to do bad things,” Abrahams said.

The Project S.O.F.T programme has been designed to prepare 11-year-old students transitioning from primary to secondary school.

Topics covered during the one-week camp, which started on Sunday, include anger management, stress management, effects of drug use, drug refusal skills, how to handle bullying in schools, loss and grief, mental wellness, and how pre-teens should communicate with their parents. (AH)