Over the last week I had the privilege of attending a workshop geared towards equipping youth workers with the skills of becoming reflective youth workers. It was a workshop focused on the building of skills for youth workers. I had my hesitations at first and figured that it would be a four day lecture with ample amounts of note taking but I was in for a total surprise. The sessions were not only interactive but also informative, engaging and refreshing. Having the group arranged in a circular fashion allowed everyone to see their associates quite easily and took away the “back seat” mentality that prevails in our culture. The presenter was by no means short of energy, insight, tact, zeal and down right brilliant. Having been an ardent political activist and a dedicated HIV/AIDS awareness worker Bonita Harris had what it took to make a room and our group come alive. Those present represented a diverse cross section of individuals involved in youth work in Antigua & Barbuda. The presence of such personal and professional experience made for a very enlightening and informative session.
From day one our presenter made it clear that dialogue was one of the most important aspects of youth work. Engaging the youth and allowing them the opportunity to express themselves without fear of judging or bias. Creating an enabling environment was also a major component under which working with individuals on a whole was recommended. Effective planning on the part of the youth worker was not only necessary but crucial. Planning therefore had to allow individuals to review the past, be fully present in the present and able to anticipate the future. As such we proceeded as planned.
During the course of the four days participants were asked to confront their values, priorities, and interests, which allowed me to evaluate the things that I supposedly value. It was an opportunity to shed light on the things that we don’t confront on a daily basis and to question our real motives behind our actions and the things we hold dare. By day three we were expressing feelings and emotions that had been stored up on the inside for decades. The fact that the workshop was geared towards youth made it easy to see the connection between unaddressed issues from my past and the affect it has had on my life presently. It gave a sense of understanding of the host of issues that could be facing not only youth on a national scale but those in our homes and in our very own backyard.
The daily reflections allowed us to express our thoughts and feelings on the previous day’s sessions as well as to report feedback from conversations participants would have had with spouses, family, friends etc. Exploring the Johari window and J Samuel Bois’ seven shaper model of the self revealed further that we are complex individuals. For example Bois’ model takes into consideration biology, feelings, thought patterns, self-moving forces all within the framework of the environment and influenced by the past and future. May sound like a mouthful but if you ever tried exposing yourself to someone (in an emotional way) you may begin to see how complex it is to show/tell people who we really are. The Johari window on the other hand points to four selves; the open self, the hidden self, the blind self, and the unknown self. Needless to say that these models are just the tip of the iceberg in self revelation and allowed for much discussion.
At the end of it all the experience was nothing short of bringing greater focus to the work needed to be done with the youth of our country. The fact that individuals are not only born into a society but nurtured and influenced by the various institutions within our communities. The family may be the point of origin but it is not the only point of contact to the outside world. Personally I have blamed the various institutions and individuals for the short comings of the youth but doing such does not negate my responsibilities as an individual.
It is all well and good to cast the blame on the politicians, principals, teachers, pastors, churches etc. But what about me, what about you? What are we doing to raise the bar for our youth. One point that stuck with me is that learning is not just learning things but learning the meaning of things. Learning should lead to changes. If there is no change, there has been no learning ( Dewey).
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
We Are Driven - Episode 3 - Dentercia Blanchette
Maya Angelou and Tony Morrison are two of the first names that come to my mind when thinking of this week’s inductee into the Driven Hall of Fame. Her writing style is unique, eclectic and simply refreshing. Her sense of purpose in the world is remarkably astute to say the least. Her passion for writing and self expression is limited only by the words she chooses to use. Her knack for all things literary and beautiful is simply marvellous. The last time one person had this much energy they invented electricity (shameless attempt at humour, please laugh).
As we proceed, we catch up with the active twenty one year old native of St. Kitts and peel back a layer or two to find an individual driven to excellence and beyond. Coming from a nuclear family Dentrecia had a great platform from which to develop into a well rounded, articulate and confident woman. Add four cats to the mix and you have an animal lover with motherly instincts. Educationally she has run the gauntlet of secondary school and university with flying colours a BA in English and a Marketing certificate with plans in the pipeline for a Masters Degree.
Presently she is ably employed in the field of Media and Communication as a Public Relations and Marketing Officer where she is the senior, junior, PR and Marketing Officer all rolled into one. With such an amazing workload it appears as though she’ll be CEO in a matter of years.
The first thing she does every morning without being prompted is to have private devotions “I always have women devotionals close to me and I go to the bible app on my BB and cover myself in scripture. My morning prayers are my longest, I tell god of my fears and tasks for the day and of my dreams. It’s pretty cool.”
Our driven inductee has a major crush on recording artist B.O.B. and was quoted saying “I feel like his lyrics are his conversations with me just for me about his life”. She also favours Israel Nu Breed and Mali Music (gospel). In terms of books she’s currently reading the name Jodi Picolt sprang to life claiming that she knows how to work a plot with her electrifying page turners. Lorene Cary brings her inspiration as she had a chance to meet her in person and has fallen in love with her electrifying personality.
Her favourite place to be is undoubtedly the park where she can become engrossed in her thoughts for hours on end with a serene feeling of contemptment and solitude. Away from home she finds calm in the beautiful shores of Martinique.
I posed the question “Something that made you see things in a different light?” to which she answered; Sigma Tau Delta Convention 2011 in Pittsburgh. “It reminded me of my purpose to write beautiful words that have the power to heal. Upon coming back home, I had plans to do this and that and then I got a job and soon found out that some things had to be sacrificed. I sacrificed my writings. Everyone would say when last have you written. I would lie and say a date but I couldn’t find anytime to write. At the convention I was so inspired to write that one night in my hotel room I cried my pretty eyes out just out of anger with myself for not treating my art with as much dedication as I should have. Ever since I’ve been back home I’ve been putting stuff in place to write and promote literacy and I dedicate an hour to just writing. I’m finding the time! “Sometimes we need a wake up call to recommit ourselves to our art”. “It is so easy to lose your focus when you are not in an environment that promotes it!” I’m glad I got a wake up call before the age of 30 when I’d be old.”
Our poet/writer/Public Relations Officer/ cat lover/ sister/ daughter/friend finds motivation in the words of the song "hold your dreams" by Naturi Noughton from the movie Fame. I listen to that song and feel POWERFUL! Secretly she has three reasons why she does what she does which reminds her of her goals and despite the difficulty she pushes through to make sure that she remains true to her reasons for doing what she does (we’d sure like to hear what these are).
Getting to the crux of the matter and eager to find out what drives this young woman to live purpose driven life we stumbled upon this:
“If you could put your finger on the one thing that keeps driving you toward being the best person you can be what would you say it is?
“Reaching heaven. That is the ultimate of all ultimate’s. Every day I realize just how far I am from the mark of being a true Christian but that goal ‘to reach to heaven’ is engrained in my head and it motivates me to be a better person each day. So each day I work at being a better Dentrecia, for I know that He that is within me will someday bring me to that better Dentrecia”.
I inquired as to what her take was on the state of affairs in the Caribbean in relation to the way we embrace the arts and mediums of expression and Dentrecia held no punches by saying
“Art is life”. This concept she claims is being slowly embraced by our Caribbean communities. Long before, there was a chasm between art and the other activities of life it was considered a hobby, not something that was to be taken seriously. However she believes that these days that notion is changing. “We are now seeing various communities cultivating the artistic talents of its people to transform lives, unite people and enrich the community”. She highlighted that in St. Kitts, there is an amazing group of young writers and spoken word artists transforming the nation by force as well as young people in Trinidad where they are using art to heal societies. “I think the thriving of these different organisms showcase the power that art is having on our people. Expressing ourselves in whatever way appropriate is the core of art forms and for that reason, we will have more Olive Senior’s, Marshal Montano’s, and Romeo Downer’s--- our people will never give up voicing our experiences and struggles.”
So there you have it folks an artist not afraid to get lost in music, words, thoughts, and everything that brings inspiration from on high and here on earth. Not a wandering soul but one destined for the heavens. A creator of stories untold, and a moulder of passions felt. A gardener of thoughts and dreams and a reaper of happiness and joy. It is with her own words we end this week’s segment:
“I get the greatest joy out of life when I eat Planters trail mix, nuts and chocolate and see my pieces quoted or published!”
“When I become president the first thing I’m going to do is make college education free! Why price education when it’s priceless!”
“Five years from now I will be a published author with a publishing house and a regional literary society!”
P.S. her cat currently named Samantha gets her name changes every week, depending on her mood....
As we proceed, we catch up with the active twenty one year old native of St. Kitts and peel back a layer or two to find an individual driven to excellence and beyond. Coming from a nuclear family Dentrecia had a great platform from which to develop into a well rounded, articulate and confident woman. Add four cats to the mix and you have an animal lover with motherly instincts. Educationally she has run the gauntlet of secondary school and university with flying colours a BA in English and a Marketing certificate with plans in the pipeline for a Masters Degree.
Presently she is ably employed in the field of Media and Communication as a Public Relations and Marketing Officer where she is the senior, junior, PR and Marketing Officer all rolled into one. With such an amazing workload it appears as though she’ll be CEO in a matter of years.
The first thing she does every morning without being prompted is to have private devotions “I always have women devotionals close to me and I go to the bible app on my BB and cover myself in scripture. My morning prayers are my longest, I tell god of my fears and tasks for the day and of my dreams. It’s pretty cool.”
Our driven inductee has a major crush on recording artist B.O.B. and was quoted saying “I feel like his lyrics are his conversations with me just for me about his life”. She also favours Israel Nu Breed and Mali Music (gospel). In terms of books she’s currently reading the name Jodi Picolt sprang to life claiming that she knows how to work a plot with her electrifying page turners. Lorene Cary brings her inspiration as she had a chance to meet her in person and has fallen in love with her electrifying personality.
Her favourite place to be is undoubtedly the park where she can become engrossed in her thoughts for hours on end with a serene feeling of contemptment and solitude. Away from home she finds calm in the beautiful shores of Martinique.
I posed the question “Something that made you see things in a different light?” to which she answered; Sigma Tau Delta Convention 2011 in Pittsburgh. “It reminded me of my purpose to write beautiful words that have the power to heal. Upon coming back home, I had plans to do this and that and then I got a job and soon found out that some things had to be sacrificed. I sacrificed my writings. Everyone would say when last have you written. I would lie and say a date but I couldn’t find anytime to write. At the convention I was so inspired to write that one night in my hotel room I cried my pretty eyes out just out of anger with myself for not treating my art with as much dedication as I should have. Ever since I’ve been back home I’ve been putting stuff in place to write and promote literacy and I dedicate an hour to just writing. I’m finding the time! “Sometimes we need a wake up call to recommit ourselves to our art”. “It is so easy to lose your focus when you are not in an environment that promotes it!” I’m glad I got a wake up call before the age of 30 when I’d be old.”
Our poet/writer/Public Relations Officer/ cat lover/ sister/ daughter/friend finds motivation in the words of the song "hold your dreams" by Naturi Noughton from the movie Fame. I listen to that song and feel POWERFUL! Secretly she has three reasons why she does what she does which reminds her of her goals and despite the difficulty she pushes through to make sure that she remains true to her reasons for doing what she does (we’d sure like to hear what these are).
Getting to the crux of the matter and eager to find out what drives this young woman to live purpose driven life we stumbled upon this:
“If you could put your finger on the one thing that keeps driving you toward being the best person you can be what would you say it is?
“Reaching heaven. That is the ultimate of all ultimate’s. Every day I realize just how far I am from the mark of being a true Christian but that goal ‘to reach to heaven’ is engrained in my head and it motivates me to be a better person each day. So each day I work at being a better Dentrecia, for I know that He that is within me will someday bring me to that better Dentrecia”.
I inquired as to what her take was on the state of affairs in the Caribbean in relation to the way we embrace the arts and mediums of expression and Dentrecia held no punches by saying
“Art is life”. This concept she claims is being slowly embraced by our Caribbean communities. Long before, there was a chasm between art and the other activities of life it was considered a hobby, not something that was to be taken seriously. However she believes that these days that notion is changing. “We are now seeing various communities cultivating the artistic talents of its people to transform lives, unite people and enrich the community”. She highlighted that in St. Kitts, there is an amazing group of young writers and spoken word artists transforming the nation by force as well as young people in Trinidad where they are using art to heal societies. “I think the thriving of these different organisms showcase the power that art is having on our people. Expressing ourselves in whatever way appropriate is the core of art forms and for that reason, we will have more Olive Senior’s, Marshal Montano’s, and Romeo Downer’s--- our people will never give up voicing our experiences and struggles.”
So there you have it folks an artist not afraid to get lost in music, words, thoughts, and everything that brings inspiration from on high and here on earth. Not a wandering soul but one destined for the heavens. A creator of stories untold, and a moulder of passions felt. A gardener of thoughts and dreams and a reaper of happiness and joy. It is with her own words we end this week’s segment:
“I get the greatest joy out of life when I eat Planters trail mix, nuts and chocolate and see my pieces quoted or published!”
“When I become president the first thing I’m going to do is make college education free! Why price education when it’s priceless!”
“Five years from now I will be a published author with a publishing house and a regional literary society!”
P.S. her cat currently named Samantha gets her name changes every week, depending on her mood....
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