Inner-city youths come together at a positive parenting through drama workshop at Holy Rosary Church on Windward Road, Kingston, recently. - Contributed

Holy Rosary Church, situated on Windward Road in east Kingston, was creatively decorated to depict the typical inner-city community of zinc fences, clothes line parading an array of garments and huge stones everywhere.

In fact, inside the building could easily have been mistaken for an actual inner-city yard, if one did not know that it was a church.

But Holy Rosary was putting the cap on a series of workshops - positive parenting through drama - staged for children and other residents of the inner-city communities of Windward Road and the surrounding areas. It had been four weeks since Holy Rosary had been staging these workshops, to help the residents deal with some of the challenges they face because of where they live.

The skit did not just entertain the audience, but showed some of the problems the residents have had to contend with. It narrated the violence and misery in the inner city. Importantly, it highlighted single parenting and how mothers are sometimes forced to go to men to get assistance to feed their hungry children and, in return, have to give their bodies in exchange for the money or gifts that the men offer.

When the women become pregnant these men disappear, leaving the mothers worse off than they were before they met them.

Mothers urged to seek jobs

However, the other message coming out of this was the positive influence of others in the inner city, who encourage the single mothers to seek jobs and to not allow themselves to be pushed around by any man.

Another reality of inner-city communities, which came out in the drama, was the fact that some mothers are forced to give their children to dons for their evil and greedy interests. Their daughters, some of whom have not even reached age 13, are sent to dons so that they can be used for sex, while the boys are used as mischief-makers, gun carriers and trained to be gunmen.

The children expressed fear for their lives, having to stop from school because of the shoot-outs, and having to hide under their beds for several hours to protect themselves.

Motivation

The workshop started July 7 and ran for four weeks. Area Youth Foundation had been working with the church on the project and Sheila Graham, its director, said the organisation used music, art and drama to teach life skills, attitude adjustment to motivate youths to develop their own creativity.

The workshop was aimed at assisting youths cope with some of the major issues they face, and at getting parents to understand their children more.

"Good parenting cannot be effective if the parents don't know what their children are going through and the possible ways in which they can help to control their behavioural problems," said Graham.

Alwayn Allen, Courtney Swaby and Omaal Wright, members of Area Youth Foundation, were responsible for teaching and directing the children at the workshop.

"This workshop allows the children to understand themselves while not changing who they are," Allen said.

Peace

About 50 children, ages seven to 17 years, from various inner-city communities including Rockfort, Windward Road, Dunkirk, Rollington Town and Homestead participated in the workshop.

"Some of the children here are getting along with others and are looking so peaceful, but they were not so a few weeks ago," Allen noted. "This workshop has transformed them and has taught them to cooperate with others."

He fears however that, after the workshop, they will return to their warlike attitude if intervention does not continue.

But Yanique Salmon, who lives at Ellis Avenue in Kingston, had one thing to say to children living in the inner city:

"It is not where you live, but who you are."

Girls perform in a skit at Holy Rosary Church.