After being sidelined for a short period due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pele Football Club Alumni Corporation Educational Programme returned this year and was deemed a resounding success.
Chairman of the Pele FC Alumni, Denis Ivor Carrington, said the programme received positive results.
Carrington spearheaded a team of officials from the diaspora which included treasurer, former national footballer Patrick “Labba” Barton spending two weeks in Guyana to run off the marquee programme which attracted over 126 students.
“We are of the collective position that this year’s activity was very impactful and we were able to achieve the desired objectives amongst which was ensuring that the kids were exposed to life skills sessions over the three days of the programme. We owe a depth of gratitude to all those persons and entities that contributed to the success of all the activities,” Carrington added. He singled out the Lions Club of Georgetown, Durban Park which coordinated and ran the Life Skills Camp.”
This programme took place at the Police Sports Club, Eve Leary and Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, paid a surprise visit and interacted with the participants.
Among the topics dealt with during the three days were, Acceptable Social Behaviour facilitated by Ms. Dawn Braithwaite; Life Skills – Self Awareness, Dental Hygiene (Dr. Watson), Health Care – Mental Health (Cecil Jacques), Life Skill-Decision Making, and Social Etiquette.
The participants at one of the lunch sessions were treated and exposed to eating with the relevant cutlery, many said that it was the first time they were exposed to eating with the correct cutlery whilst observing all the required protocols.
Dr. Mark Kirton delivered the feature address at the opening. Apart from each participant receiving a backpack with educational material including a tablet on the final day, the opening day saw each participant being presented with a back sack containing personal health items.
Additionally, eight of the participants were rewarded with laptops for being attentive during the sessions and answering questions when posed by each facilitator.
The final day of the Life Skills Camp saw the kids going on an educational tour which took them to the Caricom Building in the morning and then to the University of Guyana in the afternoon.
According to Carrington: “This is something we plan for and work towards doing. We love it and are energized when we see these kids coming out daily and being actively involved in each session. This is just our way of giving back to the country of our birth and what better way to do it than by empowering the next generation to become rounded citizens that can go on to do well for themselves and Guyana.”
A number of the scholarship students who are being sponsored by the Pele FC Alumni on various programmes at UG as well as at the secondary level participated by sharing their experiences with the children attending the programme. This was used as a tool to encourage the participants, who themselves can one day, become recipients of a Pele FC Alumni, scholarship at the Secondary level or UG.
