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MONDAY APRIL 26, 2021: PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO-
The youths of New Grant got a digital boost on this month when the Second Baptist Empowerment Temple and Ready Set Go Trinidad and Tobago launched their Mentoring and Home Work Center. The community groups utilised a grant of TT$35,000 to outfit the youth friendly space with desktop computers, a printer, and an interactive board for their Conference and Homework Centre.
Dr. Ian Cummings, the founder of the Empowerment Temple, noted that more than one hundred young people attend the program and the new equipment would have a positive impact on their lives. “Computer literacy is very important and, with the new normal, a lot of these same youths have been struggling with the transition to online schooling,” he said. “That should never be the case for any child.”
The grant, which was used in the Temple’s Whole Life Coaching and Mentoring Programme, was provided through the Digicel Foundation’s EPIC – Extraordinary Projects Impacting Communities Program. Launched in March 2016, EPIC delivers a series of small-scale community-based projects that contribute to the development of communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
The Temple’s Whole Life Coaching and Mentoring Programme focuses on poverty eradication by reducing illiteracy and school dropout rates in New Grant and surrounding communities. Jefferson George, a coach at the Temple’s sporting academy, said, “It’s important to mix sports and literacy because a lot of youths in these communities might not be academically inclined.” John also revealed that the program particularly focuses on fatherlessness and the emptiness it leaves in young people.
Digicel Foundation CEO Project Coordinator, Lynelle Callender, congratulated the group on going above and beyond to ensure that these youths were not left behind. “At times we may miss how important it is to combine both sports and academics,” she said, “being here at this launch showcased that there are organisations that are still providing opportunities like these for young people.”
The Foundation is always open to partnerships with groups like the Second Baptist Empowerment Temple and congratulates them for the exceptional work they continue to do in their community.
