TWENTY -TWO young persons from the inner city have been given a chance to further their academic development through the Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre’s (WROC) education programme.

The programme was made possible through the European Union’s Poverty Reduction Programme, and targets youth ages nine to 24 from the communities of Jones Town, Trench Town, Arnett Gardens, Waterhouse and Lyndhurst/Greenwich. It seeks to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

The students are taught mathematics, English and reading, and they participate in workshops geared towards their personal and professional development. They aquire skills through leadership and motivation sessions, self-empowerment workshops, interpersonal dynamics and dispute resolution.

Project co-ordinator Lisa Davis said the project’s main purpose was to give persons who had their education disrupted a second chance to achieve.

“The project is an excellent intervention strategy. Through the project we are able to help students get back in touch with their academics and help persons who were not able to achieve certain educational milestones,” Davis said.

The programme, which began in August, will end in late November.

“The programme could have achieved greater success with more time, but where academics are concerned, there is a 50 per cent average improvement from where the students started. However, a final analysis will be made at the end of the programme,” she said.

She said an improvement in the students’ attitudes and behaviour was also seen.

Mathematics teacher Laceann Marsh described the programme as educational, progressive and a great initiative.

“Being challenged by my students as they do their research, and when they come out with questions and I have to prepare answers — that’s what I really enjoy. They are eager to learn, they love the subject, they take on challenges and they research and do their homework.”

One student, Roxanne Smith, said apart from the values and attitude skills she gained, the classes helped to build her self-confidence and erase her fear of examinations. She said the one-on-one sessions also helped.

“Sometimes we just sit down in class and do some work on our own, especially when we have exams, and if one student does not understand something then another student shows them what to do,” she said.

“If somebody told me that they want to go to school to get more education, I would tell them to go to WROC because they show interest in us, even when you are down and you cannot do it, they push you to do it.”

–Kimberley Hibbert