Youths make T&T proud

Trinidad Guadian

Merkisa Pierre, 17, one of the graduates and vice captain of Desperadoes Youth Steel Orchestra said that it was Ginelle Mc Donald who recommended her as one of the internees. “Ginelle of Jabulous Communications was one of the lecturers at the internship and the internees came from all over T&T. But, this year, there was a special emphasis on low income, working class communities,” she said.

A graduate of Success Laventille Secondary School, Pierre has been playing pan for the last two years and is eager to enroll at UWI to get her degree in Social Work. She said: “From this internship I learned a lot, especially about the environment. Every participant was given an NGO to work with and mine was the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project in St Ann’s. I got to experience many different things that I didn’t know before like our rivers and waterways, and the natural trees and herbs grown locally.”

Sister intern and also a musician of Desperadoes, 17-year-old Andrea Robley, a Bishop’s Centenary College grad, also expressed satisfaction with the internship programme. She said: “My NGO was the Esimaje Foundation, a medical institution which runs a variety of programmes in communities across the country. We learned about the inequalities that exist in our local health, based on race and a person’s social status.”

Desperadoes PRO Israel McLeod, also a parent and chaperone of some of the interns, interjected: “As a member of the parent band we are all very proud of the achievements of these young people. Desperadoes is a band of high achievements and we are very happy that our young musicians continue to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to make a difference in our band and community.

“The work these young people did will be published in State University of New York magazines and websites. That is a plus for not just these students and Desperadoes but also for T&T as well.”

McLeod revealed that in previous years the programme was exclusive to first year medical students, who usually came from high income families and communities. She added: “This was the first year it was opened up to the working and middle class, and youths from depressed areas. It was felt that they too deserved the chance if they desired to get into fields like medicine and science.

“The quality of the research by the youths at the end of the programme was described as one of the highest to date, exceeding every expectation.

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  •  This effort must be highly commended, as it is common practice for students of other elite schools of learning to be selected for high profile programmes of this nature, as opposed to these two  pannists  emanating from the renowned Desperadoes Steel Orchestra.  Both pannists  former students of Success Laventille Secondary school and Bishop Centenary College were resounding in the research effort as indicated. I, therefore take this opportunity to salute Ms. Merkisa Pierre and Ms.Andrea Robley respectively, and wish them tremendous success by God's grace.

  • Congratulation:Merkisa Pierre,and Andrea Robley you also made "Desperadoes and Laventille" Proud!! May God Continue to Direct your steps......Reach for the sky!!!

    • Thank God something is done to help our youths. Most people these days think that our youth are lazy. This prove with a little help we can  have productive youth. God Bless them all.

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