Since the Rotary Club of Stabroek committed its support to the Buxton Youth Developers (BYD) literacy project in March 2007, the initiative which began with 50 students has grown both in numbers and capacity and now caters for over 300 students.
A press release from the Rotary Club of Stabroek, which highlighted this development, noted that in May 2010 computer classes were added to the curriculum to provide an opportunity for students to build their IT capacities.
BYD is a literacy project that encourages youths to see learning to read as a shared pleasure and a valuable skill, the release noted.
The club has partnered with BYD “to empower and positively motivate the youths of Buxton, and to offer them an alternative to delinquent activities and other anti-social behaviours.”
The youths meet for five sessions per week, three of which are spent doing classroom activities where math, English, science and social studies are taught and two sessions are spent learning sports such as volleyball, football and cricket.
In addition to scheduled classes, there are regular motivational, life skills and cultural sessions, as well as activities on a larger scale such as annual Christmas parties, spelling bees, literacy competitions, anniversary award ceremonies, and cultural shows.
Meanwhile, the club has been successful in brokering partnerships with UNICEF, Scotiabank, Food for the Poor, Digicel, and the local private sector.
In 2011, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) provided funds for the construction of a building to cater for the increased number of students.
The release said further that the Rotary Club of Stabroek provides BYD with reading books, stationery, furniture, resource mobilization, project management and morale support.
The club has received several accolades for the BYD initiative, including Rotary’s 7030 District (Caribbean) Governor, 2008-2009, award for commendable efforts in promoting literacy in Buxton.
BYD will be celebrating its fifth anniversary this month with several activities, including spelling bee event and a sports day. BYD participated in the recently concluded meeting of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Technical Working Group (TWG) and shared experiences over the past five years with the aim of developing a best practice for the Caribbean, the release added.
