Wesley High confronts drug abuse with week of activities
In a society that seems to have lost all sense of morality and discipline, trying to set Belize’s young people on the right path is nothing if not difficult. But one institution continues to confront the challenge head on. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
These banners are the work of students at Wesley College. The displays, focusing on drug and alcohol issues, were entered in the school’s drug abuse banner competition. The contest is just one of several events the school is conducting as part of “Red Ribbon Week” to educate its students on the danger of drug and alcohol abuse. Coordinator of the Week, Isela Garay, says the competition is an effective way of alerting students to the realities of the world around them.
Isela Garay, Coordinator, Red Ribbon Week
“Last year we tried the banner competition and it worked so well. The objective of it is for students to bring across the theme in their banner and like you said, the theme for this year is “Look at Me, I’m Drug Free, the Way fi All ah Wi.” And we’re looking at originality, theme effectiveness, and creativity.”
Marion Ali
“How much of this message gets across to your students? I mean if you take a random survey, a significant number of them will tell you if they haven’t yet they do at some point try drugs, whether it’s legal or illegal.”
Isela Garay
“Well, the purpose of this is because we have acknowledged that there is a problem with drugs in our society. We’re not running from it. Our job as educators is to stand up in the front of it and say hey, we know that there is a problem but we’re going to fight against it, we’re going to educate you.”
For Fourth Form student, Shari Yarde, joining the effort was easy.
Shari Yarde, Fourth Form Student, Wesley College
“I was motivated by the strong efforts of our students this year to actually take on the drug problem as a cause for getting something possible and positive out of it, to stop the drug use among students and young people.”
Another fourth former, Immanuel Westby, also felt motivated to tackle the problem through art.
Immanuel Westby, Fourth Form Student, Wesley College
“We got together, we shared our ideas, and we came and we put it on one banner.”
Marion Ali
“You feel like the message of drugs bad fi yoh gets across to teens your age?”
Immanuel Westby
“They get the message, but it’s more of them following up on it, it’s more of the following up. I mean it takes an entire community to raise a child. It’s not just one thing, but we need to start somewhere and so this is where we start at Wesley College saying that drugs are bad.”
Meanwhile, the week’s activities continue tomorrow with Red Ribbon Day, a church service and parade, a chant competition, rally, and variety show. Marion Ali for News Five.
On Thursday evening the students will entertain their parents, and on Friday they will take part in a social event on campus. Wesley is also conducting poetry competitions and class discussions on drug abuse during the remainder of the week.
