At Your Fingertips

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“I was raised by a mother who believes that all things are possible. She's easily the most optimistic person I have ever met.”

Budgetary Proposals & Financial Statement 2024 Diary of a Depressed Woman Opportunity Calls Harrison College – Much More Than Just Academics Calendar of events - April 2024

FINGERTIPS MARCH 2024 | ISSUE #2

Tears trickled down the cheeks of Senator Andwele Boyce as he shared his life’s story with a room of family, friends and supporters. As he offered a guided tour of his journey living with cerebral palsy, the audience was left with a greater understanding of the complexities of navigating a world in which persons with disabilities are still fighting for a place.

While he captured the full attention of his audience, who sat and listened intently with looks of compassion and pride on their faces, Senator Boyce urged his listeners to avoid any misinterpretation of his message that may suggest “look I survived, so can you”. He instead asked them to comprehend the commitment to dismantling and shifting the realities that has made his story what it is.

Recalling his early childhood years, Senator Boyce noted the numerous doctors’ visits which he attended, in Barbados and abroad, during which medical professionals attempted to dictate the limitations of his personal activities. His parents, however, did not accept these conclusions and maintained that their son’s disability would not be an inability.

“I was raised by a mother who believes that all things are possible. She's easily the most optimistic person I have ever met. My father has a quiet and stubborn resolve and together this makes them the perfect people to raise a child with a disability at a time when, according to most people, the prospects were not particularly good. And soon it became clear to my mother and father that they were going to be required to raise their voice again and again in defense of me, and that they would at some point have to teach me to do the same,” the Senator recollected.

Growing up in the countryside in a close-knit family, Senator Boyce remembers the good times with his older brothers and cousins, who all understood his disability but treated him no differently.

“My first friends beyond my brothers were cousins who included me in everything that they were doing.

So while the others were playing football or cricket, and I was never interested in either of the two exercises, they provided a space for me to enjoy the company and camaraderie and inclusion that made a difference in my life. Together, we laughed and conversed, and my cousins raced on a supersonic red bicycle with three wheels that my parents bought me one summer after I decided that I wanted to ride bicycles like everybody else,” he fondly reminisced.

Books, however, were his true passion and offered him a different perspective on what life, as he could see it, had presented.

“My childhood in the 1990s and early 2000s was marked by lots of trips to the Speightstown public library, and when the offerings of the library became too limited, I negotiated with my father to take me to book stores around the island. Books were a place where I got to travel and roam freely into worlds beyond the bounds of the hospital and looking outside the expanse of the pasture that is behind our house essentially. Through my reading I developed a love of language and a curiosity about the world in which I lived. I delighted in both fiction and non-fiction, and not to the surprise of many, the autobiographies of great leaders,” the former Ellerslie student asserted.

While Senator Boyce was enjoying a life where he was afforded the opportunity to live as an individual with “growing dreams and aspirations” that did not reflect the desires of others, he noted that it was within the classroom that his limitations were brought to light.

“It was the 1990s and educational opportunities for persons with disabilities were limited. Despite those who had gone before, the education system was still confounded by me, someone with cerebral palsy and attendant fine motor challenges that necessitated the use of leg braces and crutches and sometimes wheelchairs, but who had no intellectual challenges. Teachers gave instructions exclusively through writing on the board or dictating and your job was to copy and complete as quickly and as fulsomely as possible. My ability to do that was compromised by my diagnosis and thus I struggled to take notes and complete assignments in the allotted time but grasped information quickly and remembered it well but a premium was placed on the things I could not do.

“The day an educator told my parents that I should not do the Common Entrance Exam but instead go to one of the vocational centers on the island, is a day I will never forget. I can remember what my mother was wearing - a burgundy silk blouse, where everything in that room was, the miniature table, the brightly colored posters on the wall and the color of the sheets I came home and flooded with tears.

My parents became my fiercest advocates taking on a system that was intent on not changing the way things were done… Given the advocacy and the relentlessness of my mother and father I was permitted to do the Common Entrance Exam and secondary school permitted me the space to prove that I was able, after the bitter battle to do the Common Entrance,” he stated.

This experience fueled the young boy’s view that it was of utmost importance to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and create systems where they may be allowed opportunities to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.

With a renewed sense of determination to assist this vulnerable section of the population, and his newly found love for politics, Senator Boyce penned a letter to then Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who had just been reelected following the 1999 General Elections, questioning his plans for disability education.

“He invited me to Government Headquarters and we dialogued. A now twice-elected Prime Minister took my concerns… he took genuine interest; I was 10 years old. And in part it ignited in me the belief that through my action there was a space to contribute and to advance Disability Policy in this country. In every conversation we had since, he shared what he hoped to do for persons with disabilities. And the fact that I get to be some small part of continuing that work means the world to me,” he shared.

Twenty-three years later he received another opportunity to be a voice for persons with disabilities as he was called to a seat in the Upper House of Parliament by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley in January 2022. He recalled that in the midst of the congratulatory messages and well-wishes, he felt nervous.

“This is a thing that I and so many children with disabilities needed 20 and 30 years ago. It is unfinished work and I do this very important work so that another child doesn't have to go through the indignity of hearing how they're just not good enough, how their country is not prepared to make space for their capacity and contribution, how the promise of their country is only a pinky promise to them. Systems must be made better so that another student with a disability doesn't have to recall exclusion,” Senator Boyce declared.

DIARY OF A Depressed Woman

Dear Diary, I am still trying to cope with this diagnosis. Me, depressed? It can’t be true! I live a normal life, with a great job, wonderful children and I have some pretty amazing friends. What do I have to be depressed about?

Yes, being a single mother can be pretty stressful, but as my mother always reminds me, “there are people out there with more children than you”. And at the end of the day, my children are healthy and happy so that’s all that should matter. But, it would be nice if I had more support, or the chance to take a little break to relax. After all, I didn’t get them on my own.

It really isn’t fair that I have to take care of them alone when their other parent is alive and well. Do you know how hard it is to feed and clothe three growing children? I should really have a serious conversation with their dad about this. Then again I don’t have time for that.

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Maybe something at work triggered this illness. It can be frustrating at times, dealing with so many different personalities in an enclosed space. But it’s only for eight hours each day. Eight hours of trying to meet deadlines, dealing with other issues that pop up from time to time, while trying to blank out petty bickering and pointless arguments, all the while keeping a smile on my face.

Eight hours of gruesome mental battle. But, I don’t have time to worry about that.

And my friends? Well, they are awesome. They are always there when I need to talk, and they know how to make me laugh.

Sure, we don’t see eye to eye on every single thing, but we respect each other’s opinions and have each other’s back in times of need.

And yes, I am a little angry that Keisha betrayed me, but that happens in any friendship right? I probably wouldn’t ever have done what she did, but that’s just me. And yes, I do get really angry when I see her or hear her name. But I’ll get over it because I just don’t have time for that kind of drama right now.

”I SPENT ALL MY LIFE AVOIDING CONFRONTATION WITH SITUATIONS THAT CAME BEFORE ME, AND NOW I AM FORCED TO DEAL WITH THEM ALL AT ONCE. EVERYTHING THAT I SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET HAS PILED UP AND MY BRAIN HAS FINALLY REACHED ITS LIMIT.”

I am a career-focused, ambitious, family-oriented woman, who is always looking to grow and develop in my job and my life. So I really don’t have time to fuss over every little hiccup in my life. There will be time for that later.

Later… Diary, this is my later. It’s now becoming clear to me. I spent all my life avoiding confrontation with situations that came before me, and now I am forced to deal with them all at once. Everything that I swept under the carpet has piled up and my brain has finally reached its limit. I should never have allowed these issues to fester because now, they are just spiralling out of control in my head.

Diary, did I bring this upon myself?

TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON DEPRESSION AND FIND OUT THE WARNING SIGNS, YOU MAY CLICK HERE.

CENTENARIAN HAILED AS GODFEARING & LOVING WOMAN

by Troy Barker

Thirteen-year-old Christina Sargeant receives $1,000.00 from owner of Shehaul Construction Inc., Jada Chase while Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Corey Lane, and Christina’s mother, Sagirah Craigg, look on. (J. Bishop/BGIS)

The Boarded Hall community in Christ Church came alive with two days of celebrations for Olga Euline Brathwaite, whose 100th birthday was March 11, 2024.

A highlight of the celebrations was a visit on that day by President of Barbados, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

One of the centenarian’s daughters, Velda Brathwaite, was quick to note that her mother, while strict and very disciplined, was a “very loving and caring mum”.

“She tried to give us not what we want, but things that you need most of all. You had to get up on mornings; you had to say your prayers; then you had to, well mostly my brothers…do the work outside; the girls would then do the washing,” Mrs. Brathwaite said.

She also noted that her mother made sure that all of the children went to school and when they returned home, they had to complete their homework. They were only allowed to go out afterward “once they behaved well”.

Mrs. Brathwaite added that her mother worked hard at the plantation and “instilled morals”.

She said: “You couldn’t bring home anything that belonged to some person…. If she gave you anything, you would share, but you couldn’t 15 take anything from anybody and bring it home; she was very strict about that.”

Describing her mother as a God-fearing person, she added: “You [had to] go to church on Sunday morning. Then you came back….and then Sunday School, 3 o’clock and then 7 o’clock service; so it was three different times you had to go to church.”

The centenarian was raised in The Valley, St. George and attended the Workmans and St. George Primary Schools. She was a domestic at Hilbury Plantation, Workmans, St. George and a labourer at Jordan’s Plantation until retirement in 1989, at age 65.

She was married to Felix Brathwaite (now deceased) and had 11 children (five deceased). She has 27 grandchildren and 57 greatgrandchildren, with one more on the way. In addition to being an avid Pentecostal church goer, two of the centenarian’s favourite pastimes were reading her Bible and watching wrestling.

Mrs. Brathwaite is generally in good health and enjoys listening to the radio, resting, and engaging those around her. She enjoys eating oatflakes, cream of wheat, souse, macaroni pie, and would eat sweet potato and yam, which are not a favourite of hers.

“I use all dem (cassava and some ground provisions) when I was much younger with my little children but now, I ain’t want them,” she remarked.

Dame Sandra presented her with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of non-alcoholic wine and a personalised card. Upon receiving the flowers, which she loves, she remarked: “Lovely man, lovely, lovely, lovely flowers….when my Pastor comes, he’d bring a bunch of flowers for me too…. Thanks very much.”

In her closing remarks, Her Excellency encouraged family members to document events that occurred in the centenarian’s younger days.

“I have heard so many stories about…the (1937) unrest…and it is only the people who were alive at that time who, in some instances, experienced some of the unrest…. These are the people from whom we should get the true stories. Likewise, she could be able to tell you what life was like on the plantation because she worked there…. So, sit down and write the stories,” she said.

The Budgetary Proposals and Financial Statement, delivered by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment, Mia Amor Mottley, on March 18, 2024.

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PHOTO STOP

Students and staff of the St. Albans and Roland Edwards Primary Schools participated in a drill during the annual Caribe Wave exercise.

Harrison College Physical Education Teacher, Ryan Leacock (left), accepting the National Sports Council’s (NSC) Award for Most Outstanding School in Sports for 2023 from Managing Director of Print Brokers Inc. Darren White, at a recent NSC ceremony. (National Sports Council)

HARRISON COLLEGE – MUCH MORE THAN JUST ACADEMICS

by Julie Carrington

It was a sweet New Year’s surprise for the staff and students of Harrison College (HC), “Kolij”, when they copped the National Sports Council’s Award for Most Outstanding School in Sports for 2023.

The accolade brought a sense of immense satisfaction to Principal Kaylene Kellman-Holder, other members of the management team, and Curriculum Leader and Physical Education Teacher, Ryan Leacock, who accepted the award at the recently concluded ceremony at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.

The disciplines of swimming, cross country, basketball and winning the Barbados Secondary Schools’ boys ’championships, have all contributed to HC’s commitment and outstanding performance in sports.

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Known for its scholastic achievements for over two centuries, the Crumpton Street, St. Michael institution has cemented its place in the annals of athletics history with 12 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships dating back to 1989, and as recent as 2023.

“Kolij” can also boast of being the alma mater of three-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medallist, Obadele Thompson; twotime World Championship bronze medallist, Sada Williams; Barbados and West Indies Women’s White Ball Captain, Hayley Matthews, and 100 metres bronze medallist at the 2016 World Junior Championships Athletics, Mario Burke.

They have all given back to the school at various stages.

During a recent interview with the Barbados Government Information Service, Mrs. Kellman-Holder described the recent achievement as a “pleasant surprise”. “When I heard that we actually received the award, I was ecstatic…It was truly a phenomenal experience,” she stated.

The Principal explained that since taking over the leadership of the school last September from retired principal, Juanita Wade, the aim is to continue to build on the foundation that has been laid.

“Considering that just in that short period of time there were several championships under the belt, in terms of the swimming, cross country and basketball. It wasn’t totally surprising, but it was good to finally get the kind of acknowledgement that the school has so long deserved,” she emphasised.

Principal of Harrison College, Kaylene Kellman-Holder, holding

Mrs. Kellman-Holder added: “People are already aware of the one of the several coveted Barbados Secondary Schools’ Athletic school’s academic excellence, but we also want to highlight that Championship plaques, won over the years. (GP) we offer an all-round programme so that we can develop the full individual. Sometimes, when you hear of other all-round schools, Harrison College does not come to mind.

“But in reality, it is…and I would dare say that when you have spent time in other situations, you would perhaps be able to say that Harrison College is maybe the most rounded school when you analyse it. Although the perception is that it is an academic school, we offer a whole range not only in terms of extracurricular activities but even the curriculum offerings have expanded over the years,” she pointed out.

The principal cited curriculum offerings in robotics, an award-winning culinary club, an animal welfare society, entrepreneurship training, and the introduction of Caribbean Vocational Qualifications in Musical Performance and Fabric Design as examples of additional areas in which students can excel.

Deputy Principal, Dr. Martin Alleyne, and Mrs. Kellman-Holder mentioned the school’s success in entrepreneurship with the $20 challenge and the Pitching For Progress Award, among others.