ST JAMES, Jamaica—Rushawn Legister, a student at the Rhodes Hall High School, is a living testimony that no soul is beyond saving, when he stood before a congregation inside the Christian Fellowship Church in Lucea, Hanover, to accept an award as a beacon of hope during the ‘I Have Triumph’ award ceremony, held on March 29.

The event was a celebration of the Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) mentorship programme called ‘Mentor Me.’

Held under the theme ‘Striving for Excellence, Beyond All Odds’, the ceremony acknowledged the good behaviour, transformation, resilience and hope of 21 primary and secondary level students, who fought against the tides of delinquency and adversity, to become agents of change in their schools and communities.

However, it was Legister’s journey from rebellion to redemption that moved the hearts and minds of many that heard his story.

“The programme helped me to think about my bad behaviour every day and while I am still tempted to do the wrong thing as a teen, I tell myself that I won’t do it anymore. So, I now always try to do the right thing,” the Grade nine student said.

Legister was the kind of student who found himself in the principal’s office in party because of the challenges he faced in school, which was further compounded by bullying from his peers.Before long, it led the teen down a path of anger and defiance.

However, a guiding hand that belonged to the Hanover CSSB reached out and steered him to the mentorship programme, easing the weight of hardship bearing down on his young shoulders.“Thank you very much Constable Errol Walters. You [helped me] and told me that all this [bad behaviour] won’t be worth it later on in life despite the temptations. Now, everyone can expect a better person, a good person. It has helped me for real,”Legister stated.

Their first meeting was inside the principal’s office, but instead of disciplinary action, Constable Walters extended a chance for Legister to enrol in the CSSB mentorship initiative.

Through the ‘Mentor Me’ programme, the teen was given guidance from a fatherly figure.

“Instead, we took the mentorship approach, the father and son approach, the brother approach and I can now boast this afternoon to say that it has worked,” Constable Walters remarked.

The power of patience and compassion led to many changes in Legister, such as in his academics and behaviour.

“I hope he will be an example for others,” a beaming Constable Walters said when he presented the award to the teen.

The other 20 students honoured on the day were from Sandy Bay Primary School, Esher Primary School, Green Island Primary School, Green Island High School, Hopewell High School, Merlene Ottey High School, and Rhodes Hall High School.

The students were lauded for resisting peer pressure, promoting peace, and embracing positive behavioural changes.“Ceremonies like these are good. It encourages [students] to continue to practice good behaviour and to continue to do well. For me, I will encourage others and help them and do my best,” Tamia Haughton, awardee and a Grade 10 student at Hopewell High School, said.

The Hanover CSSB takes pride in driving the ‘Mentor Me’ and other initiatives under the School Resource Officer Programme in the parish.

Under their mandate, officers work closely with school administrations to create programmes focused on overall safety on and off the school compound.

Officers often mentor students who exhibit antisocial behaviours and teach conflict resolution strategies that do not involve crime and violence.

These were among the reasons deputy superintendent in charge of operation/technical officer, Angela McIntosh Gayle, reminded the audience why such programmes matter.

“We are here today because our children are at risk and so our school resource officers go into the schools to identify not just the troublemakers, but also the students who have triumphed and are doing well. The children are tomorrow’s future,” deputy superintendent McIntosh-Gayle said.

-JIS