Amitabh Sharma, Features Coordinator

Members of Rome parenting group at a fund-raising car wash drive. - Amitabh Sharma

Karen McKenzie strolls through the byways of Rome, her community in Kencot, St Andrew, advising youngsters to be careful as they play cricket on the street.

McKenzie heads a parental counselling group, where she advises parents and encourages children to lead meaningful lives.

This is something McKenzie learnt the hard way.

"I made mistakes in my life," she said. " I fell in love and got pregnant when I was 17, had my second child a year later. Life was very tough."

She is married now, with four children happily settled.

One by one

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) approached McKenzie in November last year to spearhead a parenting programme in the community. She embraced the challenge, as the community was riddled with violence and the people were afraid to come out.

"Somebody had to do it," said McKenzie.

She went out and associated with people, slowly and steadily making inroads in the community. And she won over hearts and minds one by one.

"We were never interested," said Natalie Campbell, a single mother of four.

Campbell refused to join the parenting group initially, but McKenzie managed to enroll her. "She convinced me to uplift myself," she said.

Six months later, Campbell is happy she took this decision.

"My children were out of order. They used bad words, never used to listen to me," she said. Now the children attend evening classes and help their mother at home.

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

There are about 35 members in the Kencot parenting group, including 10 fathers who are all single parents. The youngest mother is 17.

"I am trying to educate them and trying to get them to go to school," said McKenzie.

She feels that the solution to most problems faced by this inner city community involves giving residents opportunities. She has managed to send some of them back to school.

THE WISH LIST

The group runs a programme in which each mother has adopted a child. "This is not formal adoption," said McKenzie. "It is to ensure that the child is taken care of. At times they don't have money for a meal. We try and provide whatever we can."

OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES

Despite the Kencot group's benevolence, violence is still a major concern for the community.

"The men are still afraid to come out," noted Ryan White, project officer at YOU. "The violence flares up at times but we are trying to bring peace."

White, who has been working in the community since the inception of the group, said McKenzie's work is exceptional and a source of inspiration for others.

YOU is a voluntary, non-governmental organisation. Established in 1991, it responds to a complex array of challenges facing adolescents and their families to provide positive interventions for at-risk, in-school adolescents.

The YOU Parenting Programme provides parents and guardians with vital child-rearing techniques. This project encourages and strengthens parental involvement with schools and teaches some of the specialised skills necessary in the modern world, such as alternative methods of disciplining, advocacy and effective communication.

'Making a Difference' is aninitiative to highlight the work of service clubs and social organisations in Jamaica which are transforming communities across the country. We invite organisations to participate in this endeavour. Contact 922-3400 ext. 6377 or email: amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com.