BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A steering committee has been formed to spearhead the reintroduction of the 4-H Movement to the island of St. Kitts more than a decade after it faded from the landscape following the death of its founder.
Speaking on behalf of the committee on Tuesday, August 17, Community Development Officer and Ex Officio member of the committee Jacqulin Christopher informed SKNVibes that the 4-H Club would be an educational and developmental organisation open to all boys and girls who have attained the age of five but not more than 18 years, and who would be placed in the charge of leaders between the ages of 19 and 35 years.
According to Christopher, the club would provide its membership with after school programmes in all aspects of development with emphasis on educational, spiritual and recreational activities.
The Club’s mission is “to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society”.
Members of the steering committee observed that during the last five years St. Kitts and Nevis has experienced a significant increase in crime and violence which have claimed the lives of a number of young men. The reintroduction of the 4-H Movement was considered as an effective intervention in responding to this problem.
Christopher said, “It is our feeling that the youngsters have observed that our communities don’t generally provide support for the weak among us; that is, those who are spiritually, financially, socially or mentally weak and most vulnerable. As a result of these dynamics, a group of us came together to develop a committee that would assist young people to become healthy, problem-solving, constructive adults.”
A nine-member Interim Committee, coordinated by Kenneth Herbert and Edith Lake, meets weekly on Wednesdays and is preparing to formally launch the club in October. The other members are Nigel Herbert, Stuart Versailles, Paul Benjamin, Michael Blake, Althea Chambers, Ex Officio members Yoannis Basalo and Jacqulin Christopher.
The committee is benefitting from the institutional knowledge and guidance of Althea Chambers and Kenneth Herbert, two former members of the defunct movement, Chambers having been exposed to extensive training overseas during the life of the earlier 4-H Movement.
The Interim Committee will, during the month of September, host consultations in the communities of Sandy Point, St. Pauls, Molineux and St Peters.
The 4-H Movement had its inception in St. Kitts in the latter part of the 1950’s when it was founded and established by the late Basil Henderson, B.E.M. The Easter Monday Aquatic Sports organised by the 'Doctor of Culture', Winston Zack Nisbett, and held annually at the ferry terminal is one of the legacies of the 4-H movement.
