A new charity has been launched to provide assistance for young people in this country.
It is the William and Verona Lashley Foundation, founded in honour of the late parents of the Parliamentary Representative for Christ Church West Central and Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley.
Speaking yesterday morning at the St. John’s Primary School graduation, Minister Lashley said that while the goal of the foundation is raise funds and solicit donations to provide support and assistance to young Barbadians in general, its initial focus will be students hailing from the St. John’s Primary School, formerly the St. John’s Mixed School, which he and his eight siblings attended; and the Vauxhall Primary School in Christ Church.
Addressing those gathered in the Messiah Wesleyan Holiness Worship Centre, Lashley spoke glowingly of his parents – products of St. John – who he said always encouraged young people everywhere to make good use of their education. Additionally, he said they always upheld the virtues of good manners, respect and excellent deportment.
“They always promoted the maxim, ‘manners maketh man’. They were true ‘salt of the earth’ residents of St. John. They were humble but highly intelligent individuals who were astute planners and very aware of social and political events both locally and internationally. They also attended the St. John’s Mixed School. They were not themselves fortunate to benefit from education beyond what was known as the seventh standard, but they were extremely hard-working and dedicated parents who insisted on a full education for each of their children,” he said.
Minister Lashley added that his parents truly understood the enormous value of a solid education, having emerged from a period of struggle during their adult life when opportunities for advancement among black Barbadians were very limited. He pointed out, however, that such circumstances did not prevent his parents from seeking knowledge from multiple sources and applying that knowledge to the development of their family, and contributing to the wider development of St. John and Barbados.
Lashley urged the graduating class to take examples from his parents’ lives and apply it to theirs. He told them not to take the decisions they will make over the next few years lightly, as they will have either a positive or negative impact on the remainder of their lives.
“During your secondary school life, there will be many steps you can take, which like that fake stone may seem okay to step on; stones such as alcohol, casual sex and recreational drugs. But just like that fake stone in the jungle, these things can prove to be alligators which can completely destroy you and stop you from reaching your final destination or the fulfilment of your dreams. Even if these stones are not fatal, they can still be distractions and pitfalls, hampering your full and complete development. So please, I implore you, recognise these distractions when you are confronted with them,” he said.
He further urged the students to stay focused and put in an adequate amount of work to achieve the desired success.
“I also wish to encourage you to pursue areas of study in which you have a natural interest. You would have greater satisfaction not just in the short term, but certainly in the long term if you do the things you truly love,” he added.
With that in mind, he maintained that areas of study do not have to be limited to the traditional paths such as medicine, law or accounts, and the Sports Minister told those gathered that if they are gifted in the area of sports, they should pursue them as well.
“I want you to look at the success of our own Sir Garfield Sobers and others in our region in more recent times like Usain Bolt, all giants in their respective fields. Clearly, success can come from such avenues as well,” he stated.
(JRT)