Betty-Ann Blaine (right), founder and executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), greets a mother and son at a recent parent empowerment programme at Kingston High School. - ContributedBy Petulia Clarke, Freelance Writer
IN THE world of dreams, parents listen and do the right things; ambitious teenagers listen to their folks, get a proper education and follow in the exemplary footsteps of their parents; and whole families are there to support each other.
In the real world the reality is teenage pregnancy, absentee parents, unemployment and a breakdown in the family structure.
Then there are organisations like Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) which are trying to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality.
Dubbed the country's leading mentoring organisation, YOU has issued a new challenge to parents. Founder and executive director Betty-Ann Blaine is encouraging them to "take careful stock of themselves and make a concerted effort to improve the way they are bringing up their children".
Why? "Because we are facing a major crisis in the area of poor parenting," Mrs Blaine said. "The country needs to embark on a massive parenting education programme if we are serious about national progress in the new millennium."
A voluntary islandwide organisation, YOU was founded in 1991 by Mrs. Blaine to provide a support structure for Jamaican in-school adolescents and children. In its 10-year existence YOU has sought to establish a strong mentorship programme for its target audience and to be a serious advocate for all Jamaican children.
The agency has realised, however that there are deeper issues to be dealt with before the programme can claim success. For example, parenting education is an urgent necessity if young people are to benefit from their efforts.
"Almost all the cases of adolescents in trouble which we now see for counselling relates to poor parenting," Mrs Blaine said. This is a significant problem in Jamaica and it is important to note the tradition of self-sacrifice by parents on behalf of their children is giving way to self fulfilment at the expense of the children, she said.
YOU is mentoring parents and guardians of selected youngsters attending Clan Carty High, Kingston College, Tarrant High and Kingston High schools in an intensified programme.
Named The Parenting Programme and funded by UNICEF through the Coalition for Better Parenting, it's operated as a structured part of each school's regular parent-teacher meetings. It provides parents and guardians with child rearing techniques which would once have been passed on by an older family member. It also fosters parent support groups, encourages and strengthens parental involvement with schools and teaches some of the specialised skills necessary today, such as advocacy, effective communication and stress management.
Mrs. Blaine said she was encouraging parents to examine themselves and rededicate themselves to the job of raising their children in a positive way.
"This is the most important job which anyone can take on and we need to do to the very best of our ability."
