Teen Panel gives students a public forum
DCFS director Felicia Robinson gives Teen Panel certificate to Reon Porter
(CNS Local Life): The Child Month 2018 Teen Panel gave eight high school students the chance to voice their opinions publicly on social issues concerning teens. The panellists’ overriding sentiments were that adults in the Cayman Islands should listen more to the views of youth and nurture teens as they are the future of these islands.
Organised by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the panel, held on Thursday, 10 May in the George Town Town Hall was moderated by Cayman Islands CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Camille Angel of the Youth Services Unit and Radio Cayman reporter Andrel Harris.
DCFS Director Felicia Robinson opened the panel proceedings with a welcome address and Genevieve Tomlinson, the chairperson of the Child Month Committee, gave the opening prayer, stated a press release.
The student panellists were Yesenia Ebanks (Layman E. Scott High School), Sarafina Mitchell (Cayman Academy), Reggiena Erespe (Triple C School), Reon Porter (John Gray High School), Triniti Dixon (Cayman Islands Further Education Centre), Caeleigh Roye (Clifton Hunter High School), Leah Robinson (John Gray) and Christopher Rivers (Layman E. Scott).
Split into two panels of four, students gave their responses to 14 questions posed by the moderators. These related to how they perceived teenager-adult relations in the Cayman Islands, and what their hopes were for youth in the future.
Since this year’s Child Month theme is “Rise Up and A.F.F.I.R.M”, panellists were first asked to explain what affirmation meant to them. The moderators also asked about the major issues that children here face and the common misconceptions adults had of young people.
Their responses were clear and insightful, said the press release. Panellists had not only thought through their opinions, they gave cogent reasons about why teens needed to be valued and listened to especially in decisions that affected them.
Teen Panel’s audience included high school students, parents and educators.
Category: High School, Schools
