YOUNGSTERS at Clifton Boys’ Home in Darliston, Westmoreland, are set to receive an academic boost through proceeds of this year’s National Leadership Prayer Breakfast.

The donation will go towards the academic development plan at the home called the Education Intervention Project.

The project, which consists of online and face-to-face intervention methods, was designed to improve the boys’ social, technological and reading skills.

The money will also support the engagement of reading and IT specialists, facilitate the acquisition of literacy software and additional Internet bandwidth.

Chairman of the board of management at Clifton Boys’ Home Vincent Guthrie told the Jamaica Observer that he is absolutely thrilled that the facility was chosen as the beneficiary for the breakfast this year.

“Education is an emphasis of the home, in which all the boys are required to attend school. Education is the most important avenue for social mobility,” said Guthrie.

He pointed out that many of the boys are operating at several grade levels below expected reading performance. This issue, he said, was detected last December after an assessment done by reading specialists.

“This project is one in which we will be intervening after we receive a profile and intervention plan for each boy. We expect to activate this and we expect that this will run for an initial four months after which an evaluation will be done, and extended if needed,” said Guthrie.

“What we hope to achieve is that the boys will have a background that will prepare them and have them being very successful at primary and secondary education so that they can move on successfully into tertiary education of areas of their choice,” added Guthrie, who said there are about 20 boys at the facility.

President and chief executive officer of the VM Group Courtney Campbell, meanwhile, said that it is important for the boys at the home to get the technological support as they have the potential to excel.

“It [the home] was destroyed by a fire some years ago, and the good news is some organisations across the country have responded to support them in rebuilding the operations there. But there are some other facilities that remain outstanding and so what we are doing now is to provide them with support for their online learning,” said Campbell, in an interview with the Observer after the 42nd National Leadership Prayer Breakfast at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.