LCF SSI Schooling Support Programme Year One Report

L A S C O C H I N F O U N D AT I O N

SSI SCHOOLING

SUPPORT PROGRAMME

YEAR ONE REPORT 2 0 1 9

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TO YOU, OUR DONORS: The Schooling Support Programme is designed to wholistically enrich and enhance the lives of at-risk youth in Jamaica, so that they may choose alternatives to violence and criminality, and succeed in school.

We are eternally grateful for your indispensable support which has made it possible to bridge the gaps, and make positive contributions to their lives.

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Several aspects of the programme were suspended as a result of the farreaching impacts of the ongoing pandemic which induced the early closure of all schools in March 2020.

As a result, this report summarises the activities completed between September 2019 and August 2020.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Schooling Support Programme Team Target Population Group A: Targeted Support Group B: Untargeted Support Completion of Pre-Programme Activities Case Management/Social Work Report

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Edu-Psychosocial Support Report

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Character and Social Development Programmes

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Nutritional Support COVID-19 Impact

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Year 1 Pilot Assessment

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Conclusion and Upcoming Activities for Year 2

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Building Partnerships

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SCHOOLING SUPPORT PROGRAMME TEAM

Paul Irving Behavioural Consultant Mavis Ferguson Case Manager Anna-Kay McIntosh Social Worker Jayson Downer Boys Club Facilitator Kimberly Whilby-McLaughlin Girls Club Facilitator Germaine Barrett Debate Club Facilitator Ortavia Manning-Dixon Online Literacy and Numeracy Facilitator Christ Church, Vineyard Town Youth Community and Outreach Partner Tahirah Fraser SSI Programme Manager

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TARGET POPULATION Community

Mountain View & surrounding areas

High School

Clan Carthy High School

Students most at-risk in Grade 7 (12 &13 yrs) shortlisted for the SSI Schooling Support Programme.

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Disaggregated into two main groups:-

TARGET GROUP

TARGET GROUP

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GROUP A: TARGETED SUPPORT

Thirteen (13) students were selected for Target Group A. Each student in this group received the following benefits:-

Financial Support

Nutritional Support

Behavioural/ Psychological Support

Educational Support

Mentorship Support

Parental Support

Character & Social Development Programmes 8

GROUP B: UNTARGETED SUPPORT Twenty-three (23) students were selected for Target Group B. Each student in this group received the following benefits:-

Mentorship Support

Parental Support

Character & Social Development Programmes

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01

COMPLETION OF PREPROGRAMME ACTIVITIES

The Characteristic Risk (Deprivation) Screening Instrument was administered to all 36 Students in the programme. The results were used to disaggregate the students into two groups:-

TARGET

A

Completed the following Pre-Assessments: • Bio Psycho-Social Assessment • Psycho-Social Assessment • WRAT(Literacy and Numeracy Achievement Test) • WASI (Intelligence Test) • Beck Youth Inventories – Second Edition (BYIII) (psychosocial screening) • Home and Community Assessment TM

Individualized Development Plans (IDP) were then developed for each student and will be used to monitor the achievements of each beneficiary’s educational, behavioural and social goals.

TARGET

B

Completed the Bio Psycho-Social Assessment

The WASI and WRAT assessment revealed that on average, students in TARGET GROUP A: • have attained a Grade 4 level in maths and literacy, which means they are 3 grade levels behind their peers • process information at a lower than average rate of intellectual functioning when compared to their peers The Beck Youth InventoriesTM – Second Edition (BYI-II) assessment revealed elevation in all areas excepting in ‘self-esteem’.

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02

CASE MANAGEMENT/ SOCIAL WORK REPORT

Before the implementation of nationwide quarantine and infection control policies, our case manager and social worker completed seven (7) physical home and community visits with each household of Target Group A. Between March – August 2020 they maintained contact with Target Group A via telephone, Whatsapp and Zoom, resulting in six (6) nonphysical contact sessions. They actively worked closely with the child and their household to treat the following social issues: •

With the Students: aggression, neglecting responsibilities, childparent relationships, sibling rivalry, improving self-esteem, managing peer conflicts, self control, time management, delinquent behaviours (stealing, inappropriate deportment and language), empowerment towards personal development and treating with environmental influences from both community and school

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With the Parents: neglecting parental roles, time management, parent-child relationship, absenteeism, emotional control, communication techniques, livelihood support assistance, lifestyle guidance, substance abuse, and empowerment of living conditions

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EDU-PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT REPORT

In conjunction with our behavioural consultant, the SSI SSP executed the following activities: • Pre and post educational and psychosocial assessments • One-on-one parenting consultation sessions for Target Group A • School visits with 7th Grade Coordinators, Literacy and Numeracy Teachers, APSE Coach, Principal and Dean of Discipline • Planning and implementation sessions with Literacy and Numeracy Coaches and Psychologist • Initial interviews of three (3) participants who had reported elevated levels from the Beck Youth InventoriesTM – Second Edition (BYI-II) conducted by our Psychologist The Foundation provided 22 tablets to students who either lacked resources for online schooling, or did not have full-time access to smart devices.

Literacy and numeracy interventions transitioned online interaction via Google Classroom and Zoom.

Both target groups accessed online educational assistance with emphasis on methods of resolving problems and self-expression, crucial elements of literacy and numeracy acquisition.

Classes began in July 2020 with lessons delivered by Ortavia ManningDixon, Online Literacy and Numeracy Facilitator, as part of her personal outreach to aid in the development of young Jamaicans.

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04

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

Youth and Community Outreach Programme (YCOP) The YCOP is a partnership between the Foundation and Christ Church, Vineyard Town, and was held each Saturday from October 2019 to February 2020.

YCOP exposed students from both target groups, as well as 8th graders from the Clan Carthy High School to: • Music- Congo Drumming, Steel Pan, Choir, Guitar • Dance • Football • Life Coping Skills • Badminton (courtesy of the Jamaica Badminton Association) The students also: • participated in The Anglican Church-wide Football Competition between Oct. 5th – Dec. 1st • participated in the church’s Christmas Treat • showcased the music skills they learnt with performances at the church’s ‘Christingle’ event and 4th Sunday Church services 13

Girls’ Intervention Programme (GIP) Year 1 of GIP was facilitated by Kimberly Whilby-McLaughlin, founder of Go Girl 365, a foundation that creates safe spaces and a fun learning environment for girls to build life skills.

GIP provided group mentorship support as well as gender-based interventions for participants between the ages of 11-13 years.

Eleven (11) sessions were conducted throughout the year, covering • short and long-term goal-setting for their school careers • how to choose friends • how friendships can assist or deter them from achieving their goals • lessons from COVID-19 • peer pressure • how their lives are affected by their personal beliefs and values Methodologies employed in the sessions included the use of visual art, multimedia, group exercises and discussions.

Facilitator’s Assessment of GIP Year 1 • The girls recognised and appreciated GIP as a safe space to share their personal experiences of joy, anxiety, pain, coming of age, etc.

• Each girl curated her personal vision board to document and help her visualise her goals for the upcoming school year.

• In addition to the challenges posed by COVID-19, attendance was also affected by the students’ unfamiliarity with attending regular after-school activities.

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PRE-COVID

DURING COVID

Boys’ Intervention Programme (BIP) Year 1 of the Boys’ Intervention was facilitated by Pastor Jayson Downer of Men of God Against Violence and Abuse (MoGAVA).

BIP provided group mentorship support as well as gender-based interventions for participants between the ages of 11-13 years.

Ten (10) sessions were conducted during the year, covering: • conflict management, trust and responsibility • assertiveness, honesty and respect, communication • managing (my) emotions • how they spent their Christmas and sharing their personal goals for the Christmas term, and whether these goals were achieved • their goals for the Easter Term and how they were affected by COVID19 • for 8th graders: “ What’s next?”

Methodologies employed in the sessions included group discussions, role-play activities and homework exercises Facilitator’s Assessment of BIP Year 1 • The boys recognised and appreciated BIP as a safe space to share their personal experiences of joy, anxiety, pain, coming of age, etc.

• In addition to the challenges posed by COVID-19, attendance was also affected by the students’ unfamiliarity with attending regular after-school activities.

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PRE-COVID

DURING COVID 15

Debate Intervention Programme (DIP) Year 1 of DIP was facilitated by Germaine Barrett of the Jamaican Association for Debating and Empowerment (JADE) Limited, established to improve critical thinking skills, enhance communication skills, and develop leadership and conflict management skills.

Ten (10) sessions were conducted for participants between the ages of 11 - 13 years.

The sessions covered key elements of the skill of debate including: • the basics of debating • pronunciation and enunciation • positive and negative expressions • persuasive words and body language • speaking with appropriate style • responding to arguments with rebuttals and points of information Methodologies employed in the sessions included games, trial debates and homework activities.

Facilitator’s Assessment of DIP Year 1 • In addition to the challenge to attendance posed by COVID-19, consistency was also affected by the students’ unfamiliarity with attending regular after school activities.

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PRE-COVID

DURING COVID

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NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT REPORT

Launch of Breakfast Feeding Programme LASCO Affiliated Companies launched a Breakfast Feeding Programme to benefit students of Clan Carthy High School (CCHS), who are enrolled in the PATH Programme.

Pictured: Renee Rose (second right), Corporate Programmes Manager at LASCO Distributors Limited, discussing details of the CCHS Breakfast Programme with Welfare Coordinator Maxine Lunan-Matthews (right) during a handover of the breakfast items to the school in February 2020. Sharing in the moment are (from left) Hazel Cameron, Principal; Janaye Graham, Head Girl, and Shemour Wedderburn, Head Boy.

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Expansion of Care Package Distribution to Students in TARGET GROUPS A & B In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded our Nutritional Support Programme to include the households of the students in Target Groups A and B. The groups were provided with COVID-19 Relief Care Packages of food, personal care, household and pharmaceutical items.

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With partnership support from Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network (JDTAN) and our fiscal sponsor, American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), we distributed 118 packages between March and August 2020.

Donations were facilitated through our COVID-19 Relief Care Package cause page established on AFJ’s website.

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06

COVID-19 IMPACT SURVEY

Two (2) surveys were conducted targeting the parents/guardians of the 36 students in our programme, to ascertain how our students and their households have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

First survey conducted May 2020

Second survey conducted September 2020

respondents

respondents

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Major findings: •

34% decline in parents/guardians views of the efficacy of their child/ward’s coping mechanisms, with most parents/guardians reporting that their children/wards were “barely managing” or “adjusting”

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Living conditions were initially reported to be “satisfactory”, but as the pandemic spread, approximately 17% of respondents reported that they had become “poor or very poor”

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Parents/guardians continue to rely on their salaries as their main sources of income, however more are increasingly relying on savings

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All participants continue to require outside assistance to provide food and personal care items for their households

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Parents’ outlooks on the effectiveness of online schooling improved with the Foundation’s provision of smart devices

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One of the major factors affecting attendance at various intervention programmes was the number of students who visited relatives outside their communities during the extended break from school 21

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YEAR 1 PILOT ASSESSMENT

63%

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On entering Clan Carthy High School of participants performed below the mean scores of their class peers

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By the Christmas Term, of students that were performing ‘below average’ academically compared to their class peers are now performing ‘at or above’ their respective class peers. Therefore

75%

83%

overall of the participants are now performing at or above the mean scores of their peers, with no other known intervention for either group of students other than the SSI Schooling Support Programme.

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Where gender is of concern,

100%

female participants were

at or above their class’ performance, compared to only of their male counterparts

50%

All literacy dimensions increased: • Word-Reading elevated 4 grade levels to a high of Grade Nine Achievement • Sentence Comprehension and Spelling improved by a single grade level to grades 5 and 7, respectively.

Numeracy, measured by arithmetic equations, remained in the grade 4 level of achievement There were marginal improvements in the participants’ intellectual functioning Beck Youth Inventories – Second Edition (BYIII) trend line indicates that all construct variables are on a rise TM

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CONCLUSION AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR 2

58%

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of the participants are performing within Pathway II (SPII)1 while 42% are in the bottom tier of Pathway I (SPI)2, of the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE-II)

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Given the rise of COVID-19 most of our programmes (Literacy and Numeracy, Mentorship Support, Gender Interventions, Parenting Support, Life Coping Skills and Gender Based Violence Awareness) will be administered online in Year 2

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Online engagement, participants’ punctuality, and attendance, are vital to academic performance, and to be assured a safe position on Pathway I of the APSE-II by grade nine

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Participants with behavioural challenges will receive close monitoring and one-on-one sessions with the Psychosocial Team

Upcoming Activities for Year 2 • • • • • •

Online Parenting Intervention Online and Small Group Mentorship & Gender Support Online literacy and numeracy for Target Groups A and B On-going Social Work & Behavioural /Psychosocial support for Target Group A Online Life Coping Skills Online Gender-Based Violence and Human Trafficking Awareness Sessions Continuation of Nutritional Support for Target Groups A & B

1Pathway

II SP II is a 2-year transitional programme with a curriculum based on the constructivist approach. Special educators/pathway coaches will work with teachers and students on this pathway. Students will be provided with the required intervention and support to allow for transition. At the end of Grade 8 students will be re-evaluated through psycho-educational evaluation to determine their readiness for crossing over into either SP I or SP III. Source: https://moey.gov.jm/sites/default/files/APSE-CAP-Factsheet.pdf 2 Pathway

I (SP I) – is a 7-year programme with a curriculum based on the constructivist approach. At Grades 7- 9 students will access the National Standards Curriculum (NSC), and at grades 10, 11, 12 & 13, they will access the curricula/syllabi of the examining body. Source: https://moey.gov.jm/sites/default/files/APSE-CAP-Factsheet.pdf

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BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS The Planning Institute of Jamaica, FHI 360/USAID Local Partner Development, and LASCO Chin Foundation partnered to host a successful strategic planning meeting as part of Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network’s (JDTAN) needs assessment for their 2020 Week of Action.

Focusing on the Mountain View community, special attention was paid to strengthening crimeintervention efforts on the ground.

During a tour of the community, led by the Peace Management Initiative, the team engaged with our community partner Christ Church, and our Schooling Support Programme recipient, the Clan Carthy High School.

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LASCO CHIN FOUNDATION: Helping Hands for a Better Jamaica

@lascochinfoundation www.lascochinfoundation.org info@lascochinfoundation.org 876-968-3456 ext.3501 876-564-2412 | 876-564-2027 27 Red Hills Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica

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