Published: Friday | July 16 | Rowen A. Johnson
From the Office of the Vice President, African Cultural Renaissance Movement (A.C.R.M.)
The Child and Adolescent
Development (ChAD) degree programme aims to train a cohort of students capable
of fostering the holistic development of our nation’s children. It cannot be
overstated how important it is to ensure the growth of children who are able to
function in society, are in a healthy mental state, and are emotionally as well
as intellectually sound. Arguably, through doing so, we are ensuring the
survival of our society in the years to come.
A group of current ChAD students
Deep screening of applicants
Miss Patrice Reid, Programme
Director for ChAD, explains that the course was given its current name in the
2010/11 academic year, and was previously known as the Child Care and
Development (CCD) degree. This was done to fulfill a recommendation made by an
external examiner, as well as to expand their outlook from solely young
children to focusing on the development of adolescents as well. Matriculation
to the ChAD programme will require prospective applicants to do an interview, possess a
clean police record, and also undergo a
psychometric test. This “deep screening” is an important part of the
application process, given that if successful, you will be working with our
society’s most vulnerable population. Applicants can either pursue a four (4)
year Bachelor of Science degree or a one (1) year certificate programme.
Double Olympic Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Graduate of ChAD
Graduates have excelled
Individuals who have
contributed significantly to the development of our nation’s children have
indeed been borne out of the programme. Not least of them is the double Olympic
sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Fraser-Pryce is widely known for her
excellence on the track, however, she also has a passion for working with
children. She launched the Pocket Rocket Foundation in 2013, which provides
scholastic support for student athletes, and also works to improve the lives of
our nation’s children in homes of safety. The Double Olympic Champion’s efforts
were acknowledged by her Alma Mater, with the Shelly-Ann Fraser Assessment Centre named in her honour. The centre, located on UTech, Ja’s Papine
campus, was established out of a need to improve the assessment and management
of children with exceptionalities.
Miss Kimberley Sherlock, also a
graduate of the ChAD programme, has committed much of her energy to working
with the Deaf community in Jamaica. Sherlock had done a course in sign language
and deaf culture, in her final year. Having developed a better understanding of
the challenges faced by the hearing impaired, she took on a volunteer role at
the Danny Williams School for the Deaf, purposed to assisting the community in
whatever way she could. Sherlock later transitioned to the Jamaica Association
for the Deaf, serving as the Director of Social Services after the position
became open. She successfully applied for the Chevening Scholarship in 2016,
and counts her work within the deaf community as being a major factor to her
being granted this award. Sherlock will
be pursuing a
Masters of Science in International Development with a focus on poverty,
inequality and development at the University of Birmingham.
Mrs.
Therrian Davis is another graduate who is proving to be a true exemplar for
current students. While pursuing her degree, Davis served as ChAD Student
Representative, and has now risen to be a leader among those same individuals
who taught and mentored her, having matriculated to being one of the lecturers
now teaching in the programme. Having previously worked as a nurse, Davis
decided to undergo a career change, inspired by her desire to have an impact on
the development of our nation’s children. She notes that Jamaica does not place
enough emphasis on child development, suggesting the implementation of
necessary policies and strategies geared especially towards educating parents on
how they can interact with children as possible solutions. Ultimately, she
envisions ChAD graduates becoming a formally recognized body of Child
Development Specialists capable of dealing with a multiplicity of challenges
affecting our nation’s children.
Catering for our children
The
current cohort of students, have good exemplars for them to emulate and they
too are focused on having a similar or greater impact on the society. Mrs.
Domonique Graham-Taylor, a final year student and outgoing student
representative for ChAD recognizes the need for greater focus on students with
disabilities, thus wants to contribute to the assessment and intervention
strategies necessary to better cater to their needs. Mr. Omar Miller, who will
assume the responsibility when Mrs. Graham-Taylor vacates the position, wants
to embark on research within his field of study after completing his degree. Mr.
Miller recognizes a lack of literature on child and adolescent studies
reflecting Caribbean situations, thus wants to create study texts that are more
relevant to our context. Additionally, Ms. Roxanne Harvey a final year student,
wants to pursue a Masters in Child Psychopathology. Ms. Harvey wants to better
understand the mental disorders affecting children and adolescents so that she
can assist and treat children struggling with these disorders.
Child and Adolescent
Development is a critical area of focus for any nation serious about
safeguarding their future. The ChAD programme through equipping students to
provide the social, emotional, cognitive and physical support that will ensure
that our children of today, grow up to be sound and healthy adults, are doing a
great service to our country. With their capacity, we now possess the potential
to prevent more and more of our youth, falling through the cracks, and instead
become individuals able to make a meaningful contribution to our nation’s
development.
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