Weston Resource Centre gets spruced up

Valarie Alexander, Krystel Maynard and Nolita Charles are second year students of the Social Work programme of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. They have taken the knowledge
instilled in the classroom and used it in a practical application to give the Weston Resource Centre a makeover.

Their impetus was to be change agents in action and although two of them are non-nationals and the other does not reside in that neighbourhood, they selected this northern community to be the recipient of their good will.

During the handing-over ceremony, Charlyn Trotman, Community Development Officer for the area, expressed appreciation for their gesture and applauded the efforts of the team. She assured, “I really appreciated working with Valarie and her team Krystel and Nolita. I really enjoyed working with these young ladies; they were a refreshing group.”

She also proudly shared that she was the person who had chosen the brightly coloured green and yellow hues that now adorn the building. The painting of the building became a community-based activity with volunteers providing varying amounts of their time.

Dr. Letnie Rock, Senior Social Work lecturer who oversees the Social Work programme, is proud of the fortitude the students displayed in completing the project.

She spoke on the process, “I indicated that they first needed to do a needs assessment. You may look at the community centre and you may think that may be what the residents might need, but you really have to find out the unmet needs in this area that people have. A number of needs were identified and some of them were quite ambitious, that for just a semester they could not undertake.”

Dr. Rock is delighted with her students and the manner in which they worked to engage both the community and sponsors alike. She took the opportunity to recognise the contribution the Constituency Council, Community Development Department, the University of the West Indies, all the members of the community who supported them, including the firemen and the sponsors who responded favourably.

Both Dr. Rock and Alexis Nurse, Deputy Chief Community Development Officer, placed emphasis on the role that members of the community have to play on initiating changes themselves. The latter emphasised that the community centre belongs to the community and in the same manner that the team approached them about doing the project, similarly members of communities can reach out to them.

“We cannot do for you what you can do for yourself better. As a community, all you need to identify the things that you need to do, figure out who can do it and then contact Community Development Department and say this is something that you want to do in your community. How you all can facilitate us having it done?”

She suggested, “Find whatever skills you have in your community that can be shared. Don’t think that we have to come up with the ideas. It has to be something that you want, it has to be relevant to your communities. All Community Development can do is help you do it.”

The goal is to satisfy the mandate, “Together we could make it happen”. She asked that the community keep the facility free from vandalism and to cherish it as a community landmark.

Some of the residents who were actively involved in the process were given the opportunity to speak. Mr. Hinds, a community leader who also teaches a karate class at the centre, said: “I think that they did a great job and I want to give them a round of applause. I think that they had more tenacity than some of the people who live in the community.”

Another community member, John Hunte, was also filled with praise for the students.

Entertainment was provided by the Western United Stars Community 4H Group. Members Canaan Willie and Kadeem Sealy thrilled the attendees with a rhythmic drum selection.

The trio expressed gratitude to all of those who came on board to ensure that the project was a success. (ST)