THOSE WHO HAVE ACHIEVED a level of greatness following setbacks often say the most genuine sense of accomplishment is not found in the realisation of the goal, but in the strength to continue when failure breeds doubt.
No wonder Rev. Dr Orlando Seale is so proud to call himself the comeback kid.
For the first 18 years of his life, Seale was without a father. When he left secondary school, the lone certificate he had to his name was that of his birth.
Did he give up and give in to the evils of life and place the blame squarely on his environment or the “system”? No! Instead, Seale set goals for himself.
He resolved that the generational curse of fatherlessness would be broken with him and so, in that vein, he went back to school.
Today he is a loving and devoted father and is very qualified academically.
Seale’s life story is one of the reasons why the district superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene is so passionate about influencing young men and boys positively.
To this end, he has moved to establish a programme focused primarily on males called Save Our Sons (SOS).
In an interview with the DAILY NATION at his office in Tudor Bridge, St Michael, he explained the importance of positive role models. In his case, his father returned to Barbados and has been a part of his family ever since, but even before that, an uncle and male cousins were present in his life. At the core was the influence of a Christ-centred life that gave him a different focus all together.
SOS was born out of an initiative spearheaded by Dr Veronica Evelyn and Bishop Marlon Husbands. Its aim is to tackle instability in homes by saving the men, many of whom are being lost to violence, drugs and prison.
Seale hopes that by partnering with civic-minded institutions to get into communities, engage men in intervention programmes, train them, challenge fathers and young men to rise to their responsibilities, mentor them and help them acquire skills, these goals would be even more attainable.
He praised I Am A Girl Barbados for its concept of trying to target girls, reaffirming femininity and encouraging girls to be proud holistically through building esteem and developing skills.
That programme, he said, helped to shape a similar focus on men.
The minister said he believed that because of the downward spiral of so many young people, an intervention was now more critical than ever.
“I’m careful to say not all of our young people [are in crisis] because we have some positive young people who are going after God, their goals and education, and we celebrate them,” he said. “But there is a growing number who are not as positive, in terms of their involvement in deviant activities, gangs, drugs and bullying, even at our primary school level.”
Seale added that the programme was targeted at young people “who are experimenting with sex at a much earlier age [and] who are consuming alcohol”. It would seek to deal with “the rate of incarceration and the number of young people killing one another”.
“I think it is time to respond and do something now to rescue [them],” he argued.
“Lack of proper education is one of the things that really affects our young people. Again, my story has been one of comeback. My education has . . . been a broken path but one that says you are down but you are not out.
“Leaving secondary school with no certificates, I had to put myself back in school. So I want to tell young men they don’t have to give up on themselves. Believe in their dreams, continue to aspire and they will achieve.”
Seale is the father of two sons – Renaldo, 28, also a minister of the gospel, and Ricardo, who died seven years ago at the age of 19. He said his sons had been a motivating factor for advancing the movement.
He recalled a dream he had as the idea for SOS blossomed.
“In the dream I didn’t see him [Ricardo] drowning, but I saw him holding on to a wall draping, but his feet couldn’t touch the ground. Eventually, he let go and fell on his feet with only a few scratches. And I said, ‘Ric, why didn’t you call daddy’? and he said: ‘Daddy, I was calling you but you couldn’t hear me’.
“And that sent a message to me. How many sons are calling, literally, but daddies are not hearing? Some daddies are not listening; some daddies are not around to hear.”
He added: “That dream has resonated with me in the context of Save Our Sons. Too many sons are calling; it may not be verbally but they are calling out desperately. A lot of the deviance we see are young men crying for help, ‘Somebody bring intervention, please’.
“Bless God, 99 per cent of our mothers are trying . . . but too many of our fathers have not been there. I am glad for those who are there, and for those who are showing some improvement, but we have a long way to go.” (SDB Media)
