Prime Minister Mia Mottley has pledged funding to expand the Chapman Challenge beyond the $800 000 already allocated, as President Jeffrey Bostic launched the national youth initiative inspired by his upbringing in the inner-city community that bears its name.
As the initiative launched on Friday at the Wildey Gymnasium, President Bostic said the initiative was aimed at helping young people overcome challenges and reach their full potential, regardless of where they started in life.
Mottley said the government had already allocated $800 000 to fund the Chapman Challenge secretariat and support the initial work of establishing the initiative as an institution.
She pledged additional resources based on the number of students who signed up: “I commit that if you can find among the students of this country not 3 200, not 6 400, but whatever number you come up with, the resources of this nation shall be put in aid.”
The initiative is inspired by Bostic’s upbringing in Chapman Lane and the experiences of families who were relocated to Clapham to make way for the construction of the Bridgetown sewage plant.
His Excellency The Honourable Jeffrey Bostic proudly presents the vision of the Chapman Challenge. (Photo by: Lourianne Graham)
Recalling the demolition of homes in the community when he was 15, the President said the families had left the area but had not lost the spirit that brought them together.
“Today we are not launching another programme for young people. We are here to begin the work of repaving thousands of lanes and creating the pathways that will eventually lead to a different Clapham called Hillaby.
“My vision did not begin at State House, it was born in Chapman Lane, Emmerton Lane. Two hearts that beat as one were once the crossroads of a single, closely knit and resilient community. It is where I was born, shaped, and first given the opportunity to serve and to lead. Where I learned to share, to struggle, to strive.”
He said his own journey from Chapman Lane to State House had inspired him to help other young people overcome obstacles and achieve their ambitions.
“The Chapman Challenge is a call to the nation to make sure that no matter where our young people start in their lane, that they have the opportunity to reach their Hillaby.”
Bostic explained that a person’s “lane” represented their starting point in life, which could involve limited resources, self-doubt, unemployment, underemployment or low self-esteem. For some, it could mean feeling left behind in the classroom or ending up at Dodds Prison.
“The lane is not just Chapman Lane. The lane is where you are right now in your life. It is your starting point. It may be a difficult start. It may be a place of limited resources. It may be a place of self-doubt, of uncertainty, of struggle.
“For some, it is Chapman Lane…It may be a classroom where you feel left behind. It may be unemployment, underemployment or low self-esteem.”
He used the island’s highest point, Mount Hillaby, as a symbol of achievement and the realisation of young people’s dreams.
The journey would differ for each person, with some encountering setbacks and needing assistance to get back on track, he said.
“Some of you will walk, some will run, some will stumble, go through some side alleys and gullies, and need help to get you back on track,” he said. “But I want all of you to believe that every journey is possible.”
The President called on Barbadians at home and abroad, as well as the public and private sectors, the judiciary, diplomatic missions and international organisations, to support the initiative.
He outlined three priorities for the challenge: remembering those who helped young people along their journey, reaching those in need of support and raising a new generation through bursaries, scholarships and internships, and engagement with regional and international youth organisations.
Endorsing the initiative, Prime Minister Mottley described the launch as a defining moment for Barbados, telling the young people gathered that they were valued by the country.
“If nothing else happens, I want you to remember this morning. Because this morning is simply telling you that you matter,” she said. “And that you are loved by this nation.”
She praised Bostic for using his experiences to help others and said the country needed to do more to support young people, particularly by reinforcing values such as respect, accountability, discipline and cleanliness.
“This Chapman Challenge brings an institutional framework to what we are trying to do to be able to help you as kids,” she said. “Because without an institution, we just have a wonderful thing that has happened once or twice.”
She also urged Barbadians to embrace the national motto, “Pride and Industry”, warning against excessive pride and a lack of effort.
“The real distance that this country has still to make is not going to come from only the quality of government and leadership that you have,” she said. “It is going to come when we bind together.”
The Prime Minister said the initiative’s success would depend on people being willing to give their time, care and guidance to young people who needed help.
She also highlighted two other initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for the country’s youth.
Mottley said a fund was being established to help young people whose parents could not afford to pay for them to travel abroad and experience the wider world, supporting the Chapman Challenge’s focus on global citizenship.
She also said she hoped the legislation required to establish the Barbados Republic Children’s Wealth Fund would be in place before the country turned 65. She referred to $55 million intended to seed the fund and give every child born in the republic a start in life.
Mottley urged those who attended the launch to encourage other students to join the initiative, rather than viewing themselves as more fortunate because they had been invited.
“You must never feel so special that you don’t go back and encourage the others.”
She called on Barbadians to do more to support their communities and help young people achieve their potential.
“The heavy weight of building this nation cannot be done by a Prime Minister alone, or a Cabinet or a Parliament.”
She challenged the balance in the national motto, Pride and Industry: “I’ve had cause recently to say that I see signs of an antagonistic relationship with that motto and that is dangerous,” she said, adding that, in terms of industry, there was “just not enough of it” and that “nobody owes us a living”.
She asked the young people to carry the morning with them: “Love your Barbados, but remember, love carries with it the obligation of lifting up.”
(LG)
