BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – EIGHTEEN students of Basseterre High School (BHS), affiliated with the CAP/A Ganar programme, are set to conclude a one-week practical attachment exercise at the Windsor University, which exposed them to the world of work.
Since Wednesday, August 4, the 18 at-risk youths have been spending their weekdays with students of the Windsor University as part of CAP’s Service Learning Project.
According to CAP’s (Community Achievers Project) Founder, Victoria Baucom, the structure of the programme dictates that the at-risk youths would be involved in everyday activities undertaken by the Windsor students.
“This is a part of the service learning project for our CAP/A Ganar programmes. This project comprises of them going to Windsor University and working in the different departments. Each A Ganar student has been assigned a medical student and the medical student goes with them to make sure they can do the assignment as would a big brother.”
Baucom explained that as simple as the programme may seem, it underscores the importance of setting goals for oneself, working towards those goals and striving for excellence.
“One of the assignments is cleaning the bathroom. So they will see if they don’t work hard, that might be the only job they can get. But they have an opportunity now to work in an office…to work in a medical lab. So, they can see if they work hard, this is the type of job they can get. If you don’t work hard, you will be cleaning toilets.
“So, this is a great opportunity now for them to have experience with different occupations, in addition, of course, to what we are teaching them on the farm. Some of them may not want to go into agriculture, so we are going to make sure that we provide them with the exposure and the experience to get out into the work world.”
The CAP Coordinator expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the Windsor family for willingly accepting the opportunity to be a positive driving force in the students’ lives.
“We are so impressed because all of Windsor is a part of this. The entire Windsor campus, the entire Windsor community, have embraced these students on campus and made them feel part of their community…Whenever I go to someone and ask them to please work with our youths, they would open right up and, for that, we are grateful.”
The proverb “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” seems to resonate with Baucom, and as such, the CAP and Windsor students will be engaging in a volleyball match today (Aug. 11); a fitting end to their week of toil.
