MONTEGO BAY, St James — Ballet classes will soon be available at Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club, which reopened its doors on Monday.

“We will be offering ballet classes as one of our offerings,” chairman of the landmark institution, Richard Vernon told the Jamaica Observer.

“Along with ballet we are going to have contemporary dance and similar things as well, up until the second quarter of the year,” he added.

Vernon, who is also the deputy mayor of Montego Bay and councillor for the Montego Bay South Division, also revealed that poetry and other culture-based activities will be a part of the programmes offered. However, these will come on stream closer to the end of the year.

He explained that the club is on a mission to increase its variety of programmes, and stressed that these will all be free of cost to youngsters.

“Under regular circumstances, they can’t afford it. Even, perhaps, middle class people can’t afford it, to bring a child go to ballet classes every week or so, but we’ll have a teacher and so on,” Vernon advised.

The club will also provide homework programmes, sports, and music education.

“Everything is free; they won’t have to pay for classes done down there. The only thing that you pay is membership fee, which is $500 a year,” he stated.

The club is now doing one week of registration and, based on the level of interest, this will guide the programmes offered to members who sign up.

“During registration we’ll look at their areas of interest and also some other details pertaining to the applicant and where they are filtered into the programmes,” Vernon explained.

On January 29 Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club resumed activities at its Pop Lawrence Road location, formerly called River Bay Road. It came on the same day that the now-deceased administrator, Lawrence, would have celebrated his birthday.

“It is significant for the club. He would have influenced many people positively and, to them, they owe him a debt of gratitude,” he said.

“Having recognised him recently with the road renaming, and reopening the club on his birthday, it means a lot to persons who are cultured to the club — not just members, but they are cultured as club members so it is significant,” Vernon added.

The club had been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic but has benefited from the efforts of a number of stakeholders who worked to return it to its glory days.

The club has a reputation for its members’ musical prowess and sporting skills, especially during the period when Lawrence led the institution.

Vernon, who described it as an “oasis”, believes the club can help curb violence.

“A lot of teenagers are idle and need a home or some sensible attachment to an institution. That is what it provides for them — the attachment and channelling their energy in the right direction. If you look at that, the impact would be immeasurable,” he said.