Basil Jarrett | Alumni must show greater purpose beyond trophies

LAST WEEK, Lascelve ‘Muggy’ Graham wrote an interesting article on violence in our high schools, highlighting the critical role that past students can play in instilling discipline and guiding our young people. And as much as I am loath to admit that a George’s old boy could write such an insightful piece, I was moved by his insistence that the solution to indiscipline and violence in schools doesn’t lie with our justices of the peace, but rather with the alumni and past students’ associations which are naturally and organically present.

Muggy is dead right. And I say this, not from a theoretical perspective, but from one of practical experience. In 2015 when I was elected president of the Jamaica College (JC) Old Boys Association, my colleague and erstwhile treasurer, Collin Greenland, suggested that we create an external engagement programme to accompany the things that we typically supported, such as welfare, mentorship and sports. Collin felt that we should have a mechanism to channel community support to JC, and from JC to the community. He suggested that I reach out to the other old boys’ associations to partner with them, because as he suggested, we are far more alike than we are different.

To be honest, I was unsure about this idea because I never saw this as a mandate of the association. But as I contemplated how such a programme would work or what it would look like, I received a congratulatory email from Dr Patrick Dallas who was then the president of Kingston College’s (KC) Old Boys Association. We traded a few pleasantries and more than a few barbs via email before agreeing to meet. With Champs 2015 fast approaching, I viewed Dr Dallas with some suspicion, having never met the man. Was he a trojan horse, deployed to sniff out some secret weapon that we might be planning to unleash in the mile relay? And so I invited him up to JC where we could meet on my terms and where I could ensure that I had some loyal soldiers covering the perimeter and manning cut-off points. After all, those boys from North Street can be quite imaginative you know. To my surprise, when I met Patrick and his Vice President Maurice Weir, they turned out to be quite genuine and decent fellows. Patrick chided me about the impact of JC being so close to the Hope Zoo, while I asked him what on earth is a fortis, replacing the ‘O’ with an ‘A’ and adding a ‘T’ at the end. We had genuine camaraderie, joking, laughing and taking cheap shots at each other. We were soon joined by Keith White, then president of Calabar Old Boys, completing the unholy trinity.

As Collin had predicted, we were in fact more alike than we were different. Just like at JC, there was a section of old boys at KC and Calabar who were more concerned about discipline and academic performance, than they were about winning another trophy.

The big three

At the time, Jamaica struggled with a high level of schoolboy violence among the Big Three rivals – the Big Three, of course, being Jamaica College, Calabar and KC, in that order. Over the years, some boys had taken Champs rivalry a bit far, with Champs-related violence spilling over into the stadium, at bus parks and anywhere purple, blue and green collided. In response, ISSA and the police launched the Peace for Champs initiative to help stamp out the fighting and met with some amount of success.

One late evening, over a few beers, a half-drunken old boy suggested that we have a joint fundraising party to show these youngsters that great rivals can also be great friends. I never imagined a day when I would be out partying with KC and Calabar and so I scoffed at the idea. Besides, the last time someone had a “good idea” in a beer hall, it sparked a disastrous five-year war in Europe. But the more we discussed it, the more it became clear that some sort of collaboration might be the perfect example to set for the youngsters. And so, Three the Hard Way, a joint retro-reunion party, was created, demonstrating that great rivals can indeed be great friends. The event was a national success, not just as a fundraiser, but as a vehicle for the message of unity and peace. Following its launch, inter-school and Champs-related violence plummeted overnight, and to my mind is now virtually non-existent.

For me, the biggest demonstration of our success wasn’t so much the thousands of people who attended the parties and supported the movement, or the corporate sponsors who got behind it, but instead, the events following the tragic killing of 14-year-old Nicholas Francis in 2016. At a remembrance service for the young Griffin, I recall how the boys wept for their friend. But I also remember when a big unsightly purple and white bus drove on to our campus, and KC and Calabar boys in their uniforms, stood and sat shoulder to shoulder with us, praying and crying and sharing in our grief. That was when I looked at Collin and said, “I think we did it, sir. Mission accomplished”.

OF GREATER NATIONAL BENEFIT

I talk about this event, not just to highlight the great work that the old boys’ associations of that era had done, but to come back to the great point that Muggy made last week. The solution to indiscipline and violence in schools is a team effort and some of the most important players on that team are the past students, due to our proximity, standing and credibility. Discipline, conflict resolution and mentorship may not give you bragging rights the day after Champs, but over the long term, it is of far greater benefit to our country.

Last Sunday, news came that my friend and high school mate Arif Cooper had passed away early that morning. Arif played at a number of the Three the Hard Way parties, always supporting the mission and always wearing his school colours proudly. I thank him for his support and send my deepest sympathies to his family. He will be missed by all of us.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com