The Bishops’ High School Law Society (BHSLS) has commenced weekly live sessions aimed at engaging youth in a positive light amidst the anxieties brought on by COVID-19.
In a telephone interview, Zoe Sills, the current president of the society, explained how important it is to keep the youth engaged at a time when there isn’t much to do. “The aim of the Law Society is to raise awareness of social issues, and to create a safe space for our members to be able to express themselves.” She further explained, “So with these live sessions, we were able to continue the sessions we were having in school because we didn’t want to just leave it hanging because of [COVID-19], especially since there are so many pressing social issues happening right now.”
A “General Gyaff,” which aired on Instagram Live on April 14, highlighted many social issues, ranging from the proposal made by the Caribbean Examinations Council on this year’s examinations to conversations about the lack of platforms that exist for youth to showcase their talent. Tehillah Sobers, the 18-year-old host of the show, discussed the importance of upkeeping one’s mental health, as it can be trying during the pandemic. “We thought it was important to give people the opportunity to interact with others, especially when it comes to one’s mental health because I think this [pandemic] can take a toll on someone’s mental health, so we thought it best to have a forum like this so people can interact with us,” she opined.
With an audience of over 200 people, Sobers expressed her satisfaction with the initiative. “It was just an idea that we had, and I didn’t even think it would come off the way it did, so it encourages us to come up with other creative ways to keep everybody comfortable and bring people back to a sense of normalcy so that that persons don’t continue to panic about the current situation,” she said. The Law Society of the Bishops’ High School is one of many youth clubs that are desirous of engaging the youth in various ways so as to keep them active and away from the negative impacts of society, especially as the world battles to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Updates about future activities of the society can be found on their Instagram page @bhs.lawsociety.
