Seema Batavia (left), programmes director for Art of Living at Haile Selassie High School, is caught having a happy exchange with students at the school during Art of Living Programme on Wednesday, June 5. Ian Allen/ Photographer
Keisha Hill, Gleaner Writer
Haile Selassie High School, located in the Payne Avenue community of South West St Andrew, has been marred by violence and negative criticisms relating to the unacceptable behaviour of some of the students. But, the school board, principal and teachers, with support from international organisations, are working hard to change this perception.
The Art of Living (AOL) Foundation, established in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, recently began a Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES) utilising innovative and educational programmes for teens to deal effectively with life's challenges. On Wednesday, June 5, Dushyant Savadia international director of AOL, and his team visited the school to do a motivational presentation by an inmate from a correctional facility. The inmate told the students how to avoid following in his footsteps.
Rosa Joseph, chairman of the school board, also announced the start of an incentive programme where the students and the teachers would be rewarded for their work.
Savadia told The Gleaner that the purpose of the seminar is to create a stress-free and violence-free environment for the students. "Students are usually trained academically, but are hardly trained to manage stress and conflicts in a positive way. YES is an innovative programme that provides essential coping skills and the wisdom teens need to meet life, no matter the circumstances," he said.
YES utilises yoga and special breathing techniques to calm the mind, relax the nervous system and increase energy. It is both exciting and challenging, without racial or religious background, helping the students to broaden their vision of the world and providing them with the practical knowledge and skills needed to realise their highest potential.
"Not only does the seminar provide tools for releasing stress, but also effective problem-solving strategies, leadership and social skills and advanced techniques for conflict resolution," Savadia said.
YES classes are held five days per week and are administered by volunteers for three hours each day. Since the classes began at Haile Selassie, more than 100 students have participated, with another 600 to come.
"We have a vision to transform Haile Selassie into Jamaica's first stress-free and violence-free school. The school was chosen to create a model for other public schools in Jamaica in an effort to empower students' minds with more responsibility, passion for human values and education," Savadia said.
For Joseph, the intervention by AOL is a dream come true for the administration and staff. "Haile Selassie is going to change. Every step taken is aimed at moving the school forward. The students are here to learn not to fight the world. They need a safe and peaceful environment to learn and grow," Joseph said.
keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com