Extra-Curricular Activities since Irma; Why They Are Needed

Extra-Curricular Activities since Irma; Why They Are Needed

As a community our territory has been through a tremendous ordeal. Two category five hurricanes have made life as we knew it impossible to return to as almost everything has changed. With change comes the good and the bad as we all know; the good part is that we get to rebuild. It is a chance for change, to learn from our countless mistakes, to push forward, and a time for atonement. The bad part is the restoration phase and the inconveniences that we all have to suffer in order to make our futures brighter. One such inconvenience is the lack of extra curricula activities and adequate after school enrichment programs to sustain the new half day of school that we have adopted to ensure the needs of all are met.

 These half days of school are very strenuous on families and make it hard for parents, as well as students to actively participate in various ways. Yes, parents are allotted two hours a month to check in with their child’s teachers and schools, but many parents have more than one child and two hours may not be enough. Transportation and number of children should be taken into account as well as the needs of the child or children in question. Parents of students with delays or disabilities need to actively participate to learn routines and techniques to attribute to their child’s development. This too is true of students who exhibit challenging behavior due to emotional trauma/stress, parents need to be involved to ensure resilience is built upon with a support system; in this case the home and school community.

Every child on this island or in the territory at the times of hurricanes Irma and Maria have suffered a traumatic experience that WILL stay with them throughout their lives. When you really think of the ordeal we have faced as a community it must have been extra hard on the children. They did not have prior knowledge and experience that came with past hurricanes to mentally prepare for the storm (I got my experience with Marilyn and those after and still was in shock and dismay).

Every outlet for recreation that still exists has been ‘modified’ somehow leaving nothing much to help the youths cope. This is the time when we need those “Big Brother” enrichment programs to detour youths and adolescents from participating and engaging in self destructive behavior which can become the beginning of the path to becoming the next degenerate on the street corner.

The views expressed within this blog are solely those of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on any of her affiliations. For more on the youths of the U. S Virgin Islands visit https://www.usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com . For more on the U.S Virgin Islands youths read Curriculum Choices, Learning Environment & Strategies, My Beliefs on Language Acquisition,  Respect Goes Both Ways: Teacher and Student, V. I Character, and Curricula Standards & Benchmarks

Support For Dominica

Support For Dominica

       Last Thursday as many of the territories residents prepared for a tropical storm that would give us much needed rain and some winds residents of Dominica struggled to survive what many would agree was a devastating tragedy. Images and videos that have surfaced on the internet have lead to a mass, and much needed relief effort for the residents of Dominica and the multiple disaster areas that have been declared such by the Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. The areas Paradise Valley in Bath Estate, Petite Soufriere, Good Hope, Dubique, Petite Savanne, Pichelin, Coulibistrie, Campbell and San Sauveur were declared disaster areas after a need for focused response was recognized by leaders ( Dominica News Online, 2012). Our territory's own, Governor Mapp, expressed his deepest sympathies of Virgin Islanders to the families in Dominica who have lost loved ones, and to friends and family members with close ties to that island now residing in the territory (Gilbert, 2015).  

 

       Many of our territory's residents are either nationals of Dominica or are relatives of those who are and still reside there. In the wake of this tragedy and reports that the Prime Minister of Dominica believes Tropical Storm Erika has set them back at least twenty years  I too would urge the territory's residents to say a prayer for those who have loved ones 'back home' in Dominica and aid in relief efforts being done throughout the territory and nationwide. The local 'Dominica Disaster Relief Committee' has begun taking donations for the residents of Dominica and are located at the Dominica Cargo, behind O'Henry Dry Cleaners in Tutu on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Local news have reported that the committee is looking for dry goods, baby supplies, medical supplies, building materials and tools while the Red Cross website lists similar suggests but are a little more detailed, everything and anything can help.  

  

       To my fellow residents of the U.S Virgin Islands territory that are in pain and worry about their family and friends in Dominica, I share your pain, I pray for their triumph, and as one of my Dominican born friends recently told in the wake of this tragedy D. A will rise again!  

The views expressed within the blog are solely those of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on any of her affiliations. For more on the U.S Virgin Islands youths read #LoveWins Diversity for A Diverse World, Healthy Summer Activities: Keeping Children Active, Savan Cleanup And Restore Project and National Public Gardens Day U.S.V.I.