Giving peers an extra push

Chevon Taylor was at his sixth-form orientation at Central High School last year, when the principal asked students with seven or more Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) passes to stand.

To his surprise, he was one of only two male pupils standing, vastly outnumbered by their female counterparts.

“I was saying, wow, something ‘Wow, something is not right. I don’t like what I am seeing. I think I should have seen more males standing up’,” the 17-year-old told The Gleaner.

That’s when he got the idea to form the Male Empowerment Club to create a space for male students to develop holistically at his Clarendon-based school.

“I decided to create such a club with the aim of improving academic performance and fostering a sense of personal development, along with having some recreational activities as well,” he said.

The club started with only four members, but grew to 33 members by the end of the year.

Witnessing the impact the club has had on its membership is gratifying, Taylor admitted.

“Even the way they dress before entering the club, it changed when they were part of the club, especially when they received their badges. From that day, there was a sense of belonging,” he said.

He recalled one notable event when the newly formed club partnered with Glenmuir High School’s Male Empowerment Network – a student-led organisation with a similar mandate – to host an empowerment session at the Effortville Primary School in the parish.

Taylor, who also served as Central High’s head boy for the 2022-2023 academic year, as well as president of the Environmental Club, said he had always been thrust into and embraced leadership roles. This, he noted, moulded him into a well-rounded individual and pushed him to perform well academically.

At the end of grade 11, he had passed eight CSEC subjects, along with two City & Guilds distinctions. He is currently awaiting the results for five Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams he sat recently.

In September, Taylor will head to The Mico University College, where he intends to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education.

And while he is looking forward to starting that new journey, he acknowledges that it is a continuation of the work he has been doing. During his tenure as president of the Male Empowerment Club at Central High, Taylor hosted online mathematics and accounting tutoring sessions for members who pursued those subjects at the CSEC level this year.

MUCH-NEEDED INTERVENTION

Principal Stellavit Ingram told The Gleaner that Central High has a population of 2,184 students, with an almost evenly split ratio of boys and girls and serves many inner-city communities. He said that approximately 43 per cent of students attained five or more subjects at the CSEC level last year.

“Most of our boys are from volatile communities and there is a preconceived notion as it relates to our school being probably an underperforming school. So when these students come, they come with a mindset already that they will not perform or things like those,” he said.

Ingram said that clubs like the one formed by Taylor provide a much-needed means of building their self-esteem and a different form of social interaction for them.

“The Male Empowerment Club gives the male students a sense of pride, with Chevon being one of our best-performing students, so he would be a role model for these boys who may just need a little bit of push, a little motivation, and provide an opportunity for them to be well-rounded individuals,” the headmaster said.

And although he is no longer a student at the school, Taylor said intents to keep working with the club to keep it active. A new executive body is already in place, and he has committed to giving it his support.

Taylor’s dream is for schools across the island to have similar clubs.

The youngest of 11 siblings, Taylor shared that he lost both parents at ages nine and 15, respectively. He grew up in a sibling household with a band of supportive relatives who consistently take pride in his achievements.

But his drive to succeed and to give back is mostly inspired by a desire to make his late parents proud.

“I say to myself that if they were here today, I know that they would want me to be doing what I am currently doing, so I just imagine that they are here, and the end rewards will definitely be worthwhile,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com