By Gladstone Thurston Bahamas Information Services
The Centerville Seventh-day Adventist Church launched computer classes for children in the Farm Road Urban Renewal Project area Monday with a plea from Prime Minister Perry G Christie to "reach out to our young men."
For three days each week at the church's headquarters, Fifth Terrace and Collins Avenue, free classes are being offered in basic computer skills, typing, math, English and the internet.
Scores of children from the nearby Mason's Addition community, home of junkanoo champions Saxons Superstars, welcomed Prime Minister Christie who is the Member of Parliament for Farm Road constituency, Social Services and Community Development Minister Melanie Griffin, Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist President Dr Leonard Johnson, Farm Road Urban Renewal co-ordinator ASP Stephen Dean, Senator Trevor Whylly, church leaders and members of the community for the celebration. T Basil Sturrup is Centerville's pastor.
IBM's general manager Felix Stubbs was singled out by the Prime Minister "for the philanthropic contributions you make throughout this country." IBM donated five computers and allowed two on loan.
To help defray the cost of the additional equipment needed for the programme, Adventist Keith Major donated $1,000.
"When Pastor Sturrup spoke to me a few weeks ago to say his church would wish, as a part of their community outreach programme, to create an environment for young people to be introduced to the computer, I jumped for that," said Prime Minister Christie. "This is a tremendously exciting development in our programme."
Computer labs are also open at East Street Gospel Chapel, Salem Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Green.
He called on Adventist leaders to reach out to adolescent Bahamian boys. He told of how the girls were outperforming the boys by far. At one school, 15 of the 18 honour students were girls.
"I want to say to the young boys, show me that you can work hard. Demonstrate that you are able to take this course and mash it right up. And then say: Show me more!" said the Prime Minister. "I am going to be asking how you're doing.
"One of the challenges in our country is to give our young boys the best opportunity plus more, that we can give them. It is critical for us in this country to understand this process of development.
"I am hopeful that this will be a continuing exercise to sensitize our young people to how important it is to the process of development that they become the best they can be in our country."
Conducting these classes evolved out of a desire by Centerville member Rekell Griffin, an employee of IBM, to perform community outreach.
She broached "an understanding" Mr Stubbs with the idea. He agreed. IBM donated the first three computers to get the programme started.
Initially the target was older adults who needed computer skills to help them perform better on their jobs.
"The whole idea is to teach them how computers can make their lives easier," said Ms Griffin who, along with Astacia Stewart are lead instructors.
"A couple weeks ago Pastor Sturrup gave me a call," she said. "He said he was talking to the Prime Minister about expanding this to become a part of the Farm Road Project. It was obviously perfect timing because we had just gotten additional computers from IBM."
From a survey she did, about 95 per cent of the students in the community do not have access to computers in their homes.
"But they can come here and learn how to use the computer to make math, science, English easier and more interesting, and they will learn about the Internet and how to use it to their benefit," said Ms Griffin. "At the end of the day I am hoping that it levels the playing field a little bit more for them."
The response has been "overwhelming" with more than 40 students already signed up and "eager to get started," she said.
ASP Dean underscored the spiritual contribution to the success of the Farm Road Urban Renewal Project.
"We have a lot of young people who are challenged," he said. "We as police officers and social workers cannot do it all ourselves.
"Our overview of the urban renewal project thus far reveals that it needs a spiritual application. Without that spiritual application we do not believe it will succeed."
The church can no longer be "insular," noted Pastor Sturrup. "We must look beyond to touch every life that we possibly can.
"What you see here today is just a representative of the young people that we intend to help over the many years.
"Even if just one or two of these young people become members of the church, that is not out goal. Our goal is to be able to touch somebody's life so that they will turn away from crime, turn away from violence and become productive citizens.
"No matter how long they live, they will always remember that there was a group of Christian people who demonstrated the love of Christ and made time to help me to be somebody. And that is our goal."
Prime Minister Christie reminded them that the mandate of the Ministry of Social Services "is to assist every Bahamian who is in need or who is living under some distress."
"So, if as you meet with the kids you find out that there is need for social intervention, please feel free to get in touch with the Minister so that we may be able to assist you in your work in being able to address the issues that may arise as you are dealing with the kids. We are equipped to do so; we are mandated to do so.
"In Urban Renewal we try to remove the distress from homes in our communities that are challenged and that are confronted with such distress so they can be able to live at some level of comfort, and most certainly that is what our kids need."
DIRECTORS — The team at Centerville Seventh-day Adventist Church where free classes in computer skills, math and English, are being offered as part of the Farm Road Urban Renewal Project. Pictured, from left, are Elder Howard Knowles, Communications Director Kelli-Ann Sands, Community Services Director Marylou Miller, President of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Dr Leonard Johnson, Pastor T Basil Sturrup, and Elder Harvey Braithwaite.
(BIS photo by Gladstone Thurston)
CONFERENCE — Farm Road Urban Renewal Project co-ordinator ASP Stephen Dean (right) shares thoughts with President of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Dr Leonard Johnson (centre) and Centerville Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor T Basil Sturrup.
(BIS photo by Gladstone Thurston)
LAUDED — Prime Minister Perry Christie (right), Member of Parliament of the Farm Road constituency, congratulated Adventist Keith Major (centre) for his contribution to the computer classes for Farm Road youngsters. At left is Centerville Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor T Basil Sturrup.
(BIS photo by Peter Ramsay)
