SHAWN CLARKE has put his personal goals and objectives on the back burner because “Barbados needs help”.
Clarke is the founder and leader of the registered charity Supreme Counselling, a service to secondary schools with boys and girls who exhibit negative behavioural problems.
The qualified counsellor, who recently completed his Master’s in human resource management, told the DAILY NATION that he started this two-year programme because “I wanted to help at-risk children before they reached too far”.
“When we looked at a number of organisations out there offering counselling services, a lot of them tended to be into drug rehabilitation. We thought that there needed to be an organisation to deal with underlining issues such as self-esteem building, social skills, conflict resolution and anger management.
“Once you can equip children with these tools, they will become aware of themselves and therefore [avoid] drugs and other deviant behaviours.”
Clarke said the majority of students were enthusiastic about the programme, being interactive and participating in all aspects of it.
“Some of them though attend sessions only because there parents say that they must be there. We have some who remain delinquent, but we try to do one-on-one counselling with them because we don’t intend to leave them by the wayside,” said the Bush Hall, St Michael resident.
This MONDAY MAN, along with his 13 assistants, believes it is imperative to work with parents “if you want to get through to problem children”.
“We can go into the schools and talk to the children all we want,” argued the former St James Secondary student, “but if we don’t get the parents on board to guide and supervise these children the programme would be a waste of time.”
He said: “This year we are only working with first form students. While in the first year the schools selected students they wanted to be in the programme, this year we left it up to the parents.
“We are glad because these parents have said to us in writing that their child need this programme. The fact that the parents want help for their children encourages them [parents] to fully participate,” he said.
Clarke proudly boasts that his charity, which was financially assisted by the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust, has successfully accomplished its objectives. He says some schools have reported that they have seen “a massive turnaround” in the behaviour of students who have passed through the programme.
“I have always had a soft spot in my heart for helping people, and I think it’s because of that and the love for my country that I have put everything else aside to work on this aspect of the programme,” Clarke says.
“We now want to do an anger management course to be offered to the public. Because we are looking to assist young people out of the school system . . . .”
