The
Jamaica Surfing Association recently received a letter from a few of its
members from the North Coast chapter who are seeking support in the form
of a grant in order to fund the construction of a school near the
beach that would benefit children in the Boston Bay area of Portland.
According to Denyse and
Tristan English, once children in the area become comfortable with the sea in
this sea-side community, they become excited to learn to surf. Therefore, the
fund would allow them to combine the children’s love for the beach and love for
learning by building their school in a permanent location near to the beach.
“One reason it seems like a
great idea to link up with Jamaican Surfing Association is that JSA offers
scholarships to young surfers with academic promise. We’d like to give the
youth of Boston more opportunities to win those scholarships, accomplishing
high marks with the help of our school, which will give both academic tutoring
and opportunities to learn to surf,” said Denyse and Trystan.
The duo aim to accomplish
this by promoting youth empowerment through a focus on a broad educational
program. The course will begin with the ABCs of reading and writing, and cover
topics such as Jamaican history, geography, arts and music, environmentalism,
nutritional awareness, and physical fitness that focuses on water safety and
surfing.
The program, which is
currently being run outdoors on the beach, has has a significant impact on the
lives of young students. “The students have shown loads of love and dedication
towards the school. Children who haven’t had much experience with the sea have
learned to become familiar with it by having lessons on the beach, which
involved swimming tutorials, diving, discovering creatures and just playing in
the waves,” says the duo.
Although these Portland
youths enjoy this environment and are eager to learn, Denyse and Tristan are
experiencing several challenges that are affecting the smooth operation of
their education program.
“We’ve been through tough
challenges at times, so that we had to put the school on hold for a few weeks
but the children found this unacceptable, and they came to get me at home three
days in a row, straight after school! They expressed their desire to study
every single day. Three times a week is not enough for them! This is difficult,
because at the moment we don’t have our own space. Weather and time constraints
don’t always permit us to meet on the beach, so we’ve been having lessons on
the grass near a busy main road.”
Both Denyse and Tristan are
motivated by the dedication and thirst for knowledge that they have seen in
their students, and, despite recent challenges, are committed to the
development of Jamaican youth. “Our ambition is to fulfill our students’
desires; they are thirsty for knowledge, curious about the world, and they deserve
to have the opportunity to learn! We feel we simply can’t let them down.”
“Boston Bay is a place that
naturally invites children of all ages to learn to play in the water. It is
also a perfect spot to nurture the next generation of Jamaican Surf Association
champions. We want everyone to be able to try surfing, but for those who
display talent and determination, we want to help them attain their goals of
JSA scholarships and team membership. We will focus on the whole child, so that
surf training doesn’t take priority over school work and studies. We want the
surfing youths of Boston Bay to be well-rounded: literate, knowledgeable about
the geography of Jamaica and other places they may visit in the world, able to
handle money and travel, as well as being great surfers. We want them to be
active citizens, who are a credit to their community, who will one day come
back to help the next group of children coming up behind them.”
For more information, or to
see how you can help with this cause, contact the Jamaica Surfing Association
at 876.750.0103 or email jasurfas@hotmail.com
From the Jamaica Surfing Assn via surfgirlja
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