(Editor’s note: The Young Leaders group at Lynn Jeffers School on Nevis is competing with schools across the region to meet the requirements of this year’s project, “Bridging The Gap.” Last year, the school finished in second place in this contest, which is sponsored by RBTT Bank. Students involved in this project are conducting interviews to discuss issues that have an impact on a wide variety of people. The Observer is publishing excerpts from their work today and in the coming weeks. The Observer is not requiring the use of last names in this instance.)
Lyn Jeffers Young Leaders questioned members of various communities in Nevis to start the ball rolling to bridge the gap by initiating discussion with a view to finding solutions to some of the problems that communities experience. Below are the questions they were asked and some of the opinions they expressed.
-How can you improve your current community relationship?
-What are some key points in your current community relationship?
-What sort of relationship is your current community relationship?
-What do you like best about your current community relationship?
P. K., female 38: Noted that they can improve their community by doing a community clean up and by constructing better roads and said that they like their community to be peaceful and quiet. She also noted her dislikes about her community and said that she doesn’t like the wild animals because they bring in insects and they eat out vegetation. She said that they can improve their community by bringing in more security into the society. She likes he community because it is close to a well known supermarket.
P.J., female 19: thinks that the young people should get involved in a cleanup activity. She also said that their key points are trust, honesty, communication, respect and manners. P.J thinks that her relationship is stable and that the best thing about it is communicating and helping others. She also thinks that the least thing about the relationship is helping others that don’t want to help themselves in their own responsibilities.
Q: How can you improve your current Community relationship?
A: Listening to others patiently.
Q: What do you like best about your current Community relationship?
A: I am well known by my community members.
Q: What do you like least about your current Community relationship?
A: When people are doing what they should not do?
C. F. female, 14: thinks that in order to improve her relationship she can listen to other points of view. Her key points of her relationship are being friendly, encouraging people, being trustworthy and also listening to others opinions. She also said that she has a friendly relationship. C.F. said what she likes best in her relationship is the friendly people in her community. She also said what she likes the least is all of the new people and strange faces in her community.
T.S., male 16: thinks that in order to improve his relationship he can be nice to his teachers and do the work that is given to him. His key points are to have respect and be friendly with the teachers. He has a healthy relationship in his community. T.S also said he with a good relationship with his teacher, learning is fun. He also said he can get better grades. T.S. dislikes that there is no fun activities going on in the community and sometimes it’s boring.
T. Y., male 61: thinks that people need to be more proactive in their communities like in St. John’s where they have a community improvement club that organizes activities for people. Hanley’s Road community works together for the beautiful village competition. What is best is knowing all the people and watching the young ones grow up. Sometimes you try to correct them and they tell you to mind your business. This is rude and the parents need to be more involved and train the young ones in proper manners and respect.
G.G., male 19: I like my community but sometimes it’s boring. People always want to look news and that gets me. In my community if I need help I know who I can go to and who to keep from. We could use some cleaning up and the roads are no good. I have a lot of friends there. I like it but it could use some change.
