Project STAR: Breaking the cycle of poor parenting

SHELLIAN Mayne, a mother of two, is breaking the cycle of poor parenting, having been exposed to more conducive parenting styles through the parent club established by the Rose Garden community with the support of Project STAR.

“When I sat in on that parenting style session done by the social worker at Project STAR, it really gave me a new perspective, and I have really started being there for my children, being their role model and their friend so that they are not afraid to talk to me,” she said.

Mayne, who is from Wildman Street in Rose Garden, admitted that as a child, she was not exposed to good examples of parenting to emulate.

“If you have not experienced the love of a parent, it’s hard for you to impart that to another person because you’re going to try to grow them the way you were raised. So if it is that your mother raised you a certain way and might have grown up telling you bad words [you are likely to do the same thing to your child]. But I am breaking the cycle,” she said, crediting the parenting club and her Christian faith.

Karen McGlashin, social worker at Project STAR, said that two parenting clubs have been established in Rose Garden and Parade Gardens to improve parenting skills in the communities.

“The family is the first place of socialisation, and when the family is affected, it has multiple implications, so the parenting club is there as a resource so mothers and fathers who have an issue with parenting can get assistance,” she said.

She said members of the club are taught best practices to make parenting easier. “What we have been doing through the programme is upgrading the parenting skills of these parents using certain tools, such as good communication skills, exhibiting love, and enhancing their awareness in terms of what works and does not work,” she said.

McGlashin said the intention is to expand these clubs in other communities where Project STAR is working. She said new clubs were recently established in May Pen, Clarendon and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Saffrey Brown, director of Project STAR, said that the community members have identified weak family structures as the number one issue faced by their communities and so Project STAR has been working at the family level to provide support and development opportunities for children.

“We have implemented a number of support programmes to strengthen families and promote positive outcomes for children, which also play a crucial role in community development,” she said.

These include the establishment of parenting clubs, a school feeding programme and an after-school work programme.

“Our school feeding programme in Rose Garden and Parade Gardens assists parents with children at the early-childhood level, who otherwise could not afford this, with warm meals, breakfast and lunch through the school, which has improved their attendance and learning,” she said.

Brown said that community sporting and social activities have been held in these communities such as unity days, medical fairs and back-to-school treats, which all allow families to get directly involved in community development initiatives that increase skills, knowledge, empowerment and self-efficacy.

She said that the data also highlighted that low educational attainment is also a priority issue, with most household heads in these communities having few or no secondary qualifications. The education data also stated that there are critical numeracy and literacy issues among the children within these communities.

“As a result, we have launched our first after-school homework programme in Parade Gardens, which will be replicated in all our communities. Children are supported by trained teachers who will assist them with their numeracy, literacy and social skills. These programmes also help to lessen battles at home and reduce the risk of children and youth being involved in antisocial activities. Our youth summer programmes also continue in this vein,” Brown said.

Project STAR is a five-year social and economic transformation project that targets under-resourced, underserved communities experiencing high levels of crime or violence. Through a comprehensive consultation process, communities assist in determining their own needs, which are further supported by extensive data and analysis.