From March to April 2021, we facilitated a six-week Adolescent Development Programme with the adolescent residents of one of the children’s homes in Trinidad & Tobago. This particular programme took place over six consecutive Saturdays and included topics such as Self-Esteem, Peer Pressure, Managing Emotions, Effective Communication, Money Management, Time Management and The Appropriate Use of Social Media. Fortunately, as this programme took place on site at the children’s home, they were not impacted by Covid-19 regulations while our facilitators maintained social distancing and wore masks throughout.
Due to the length of the programme, we were able to foster positive relationships with many of the participants over the six-week period. The activities, discussions and distributed materials aided in the development of these positive relationships which evolved as the programme went on. Furthermore, we were able to detect growth and maturity in several participants throughout the programme, which was evident that they were internalizing and applying the information to their own lives. For example, when covering the topic of money management, one participant was able to follow steps to effectively budget their money and made a commitment to use this strategy moving forward. Another participant was able to identify what triggered certain emotions, which allowed the exploration of ways to avoid and reduce these triggers. These are just two examples of growth detected in this programme, as most participants took away something of great value that can make a difference in their lives.
The feedback received from this programme was most rewarding as participants expressed how sad they were when the programme eventually came to an end. This strongly suggests that they enjoyed it thoroughly, as children usually can’t wait until something they consider boring or meaningless is finally over with. This was definitely not the case, as one participant stated that the only thing he disliked about the programme was that it came to an end. Another participant suggested that he enjoyed all of the topics covered as each one was presented in a way that was extremely relatable. Even the adults who were present throughout the programme were impressed as they sometimes found themselves actively participating in the activities and discussions, which once controlled, is a positive sign. At the end of the programme, we presented each participant with certificates of participation as well as tokens of appreciation from sponsors including Republic Bank Limited, Lucozade, Nestlé, Bermudez and Subway. These included bags, stationery, snacks, and drinks, which the children were most grateful for. We were truly honored to have been able to spend six consecutive weeks with this participant group, as we were able to learn and grow as facilitators from our time with these participants. Furthermore, being able to impact each participant in some way is a wonderful feeling, as participants demonstrated nothing but respect, appreciation and gratitude for being able to spend time with us in this environment.