Discovery Club Celebrates 10th Anniversary
By Pauline Waruguru
Nevis Reporter - SKNVibes.com
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Members of the Discovery Club
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{Charlestown; Nevis} A major highlight during the Discovery Club’s 10th anniversary celebration activities was an interactive live show at Nevis based CHOICE FM last Saturday.
Several community-minded and highly motivated individuals, parents, educators, business and retired people, established the Discovery Club in November 1977.
According to Rhonda Maycock who coordinates the Club, the founders believed that children and youth are the most valued resource. “With this philosophy in mind, the organizers targeted youths, aged 7 to 17 years and planned a programme, filled with meaningful, life enriching activities, constructive and fun events. This they believed would provide a more positive, alternative to delinquency, premature sexual activities, drugs, alcohol and other such negative, destructive behaviour,” Maycock said.
The Club’s motto is ‘Who are we? Where have we come from? Where are we going?” The club meets every Saturday afternoon from 3.00 to 5.00 p.m.
“Over the years, the Club has grown from strength to strength. Club meetings have been held in various locations. Elders in the community have come in to discuss and show photographs of how Nevis used to be and what life was like in yesteryears,” Maycock said.~~Adz:Right~~
She added: “Nigerians/Ghanaians residents in the community have come in to speak/demonstrate their own culture and show the many similarities there are within our Nevisian culture.”
African drumming has been featured during the Club meetings, arts and craft has been encouraged to enable children to make occasional gifts for their parents, siblings, guardians and friends. Kite making is also another skill that has been introduced to the Club members by Patrick Smithen in the past and in recent times by Olsen Smithen.
“Our members have used their talents in writing and performance skills and have worked on one or two skits, plays and songs, as well as Calypso composition. These talents were later used for fundraising and concerts,” said Maycock.
The Club members have had many field trips. They have visited business houses such as the St. Kitts Sugar Factory, The Nevis Equestrian Center, Bocane Ceramics, Octogon Ltd, Rawlins Photo Lab, VON Radio Station, Archaeological Dig on Mount Travers, Newcastle Air Traffic Control Tower, Camps Natural Spring, Butlers Prison Farm, Jade Naturopathic Health Centre and Spa, Nevis Model Airplane Club, Under the Sea Marine Biology Centre, Nevis Hydroponics Farm, Nolan’s Picture Framing among others.
Club members have been to many hikes, lots of outdoor games and on rainy days, opportunities to play table and indoor games. Beach picnics being one of the most favoured activities. On holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, a special costume party highlights social time for Club members.
The Discovery Club has been involved annually, in the International Coastal Clean-up, which is organised, by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society.
On Saturday afternoon every October, the club members gather along the Charlestown bay front (Samuel Hunkins Drive). Armed with rubber gloves, large garbage bags, data sheets and pencils, they pick up trash, bag it, and record the type and quantity of litter that the general public has discarded in this location.
“By involving our club in this visible activity, we hope to make our children and the public more aware that no matter how little, the habit of littering still is, it is a problem."
