Bark Di Trute!: Prince Phillip - The Duke Of Edinburgh's Award And The Young People

Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip Has Passed On

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip has passed on after going so close to making the century. He was 99 years old. Prince Phillip seemed to have had a special love for Jamaica and there have been some interesting stories going around about him and Jamaica. It is said that when he came to Jamaica that they had to get a bottle of Red Stripe beer for him before he had dinner.

Royalty And Slavery

He was a humorous man, but from reports the older he got some of that humour seemed to have gotten him into trouble. Our relationships with England was a bad one in the past. We connect England with the horrible days of slavery which our forefathers suffered under. We are also aware of the negative impact of slavery on the psyche of the nation. We should admit though, that although there are negative things about our relationships with England. we must not forget those aspect of our colonial past which served us well. The civil service is part of our colonial legacy and the service has served us well in the past. Many felt that British left us with a fairly good educational system although it was more skewed to the thinking of the British. Our history for example was biased towards our former colonial masters.

Royal Family Racist?

There are comments about members of the Royal Family being racist and that was brought out in an interview that the Queen's Grandson Prince Harry and Meghan his wife, had recently with media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Notwithstanding that, I must say that members of the Royal Family seem to have had a great relationship with a number of Caribbean persons. Even at Buckingham Palace there are a few West Indian persons who have worked with the Royal Family. Quite a few members of the Royal Family have visited Jamaica. One such member of the Royal Family who has visited here a few times was Princess Margaret who I met when she visited Knox College, in Spalding, Clarendon in the 1960s.

Joining The Duke of Edinburgh Award Progrmme

After leaving Air Jamaica, the national airline for Jamaica, I took up the job as National Director for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Programme in Jamaica. This gave me the opportunity to meet other members of the Royal Family. I met Princess Ann, Prince Edward and also The Duke of Edinburgh. I did not get to visit Buckingham Palace but I was able to pass by the gates and see the changing of the guards.:)

Duke of Edinburgh's Award Programme A Great Programme

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Programme is a great programme for developing the character of young people which was started by the Duke himself in England in 1956. The programme is now in over 144 countries. After I took over the programme in Jamaica, it grew from a little club with about 300 participants and a few leaders to being a national organization with approximately 10,000 young persons affiliated to it and just under 1,000 volunteers with over 80 units across the island. Many will recall the young people giving voluntary services to children's homes, homes for the elderly and working at police stations for example.

Our Awards Ceremonies was the place to be each year. The Bronze and Silver Awards Ceremony use to be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in the ballroom. It was a grand affair and we were oftentimes graced with the presence of our National Leaders. Some off our top performers usually perform at the function. The Jamaica Military Band and the Jamaica Constabulary Force Band were always willing to support our awards ceremonies each year. The Gold Awards Ceremony is held at Kings House.

Young people after being involved in a skill programme, participating in recreational activities, giving service to the community and going on expeditions, were proud to go up and receive their bronze and silver awards after successfully completing these activities. I saw youngsters who joined with low self esteem, lacking in leadership skills, youngster who did not know how to express themselves, becoming confident young leaders after being involved in the programme.

Award Programme In Socializing Young People

One of the great things about the programme was that it gave adults a chance to mentor young people. It also gave young persons from all social groups in the society a chance to mix with one another. Emphasis was put on the environment and the young people were encouraged to go on expeditions and to explore their environment. This really made a difference to their lives. Those who were able to climb the Blue Mountain for their Gold felt a sense of achievement at the end. I also noticed that some young persons who had psychological challenges benefitted significantly from the interaction with others.

After working with this programme which was started by the Duke and having impacted the lives of approximately 10 thousand young persons over the years, I am not aware of any of these young persons eventually getting involved in crime. It is clear to me that this character building programme worked. There is the need for a well organized Jamaican character building programme which all young people between the ages of 15 years and 25 years old should be involved in.

I must add that many see the members of the Royal Family as being part of our bad icolonial past. That is true, but I must say that not all colonial things are bad. I have come to appreciate the fact that the Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme is an excellent character building programme for young people.

The Need For An Award Programme In Jamaica For Youths

I urge our leaders to put together a team aimed at making recommendations to set up a national award programme for young people in Jamaica. Our boys especially need it, our girls need it and our country needs it. If we plan to change the culture of indiscipline and lawlessness in Jamaica Land We Love, strengthening our families and then having a youth character building programme is where we need to start.

We need to start now!