For our boys

LUCEA, Hanover — As a guidance counsellor at Rusea’s High School in this parish, Judith Brown has always had an intense passion for encouraging and helping young males become productive members of society. Therefore, it came as no surprise when she conceived the idea of staging a 5K run/walk to raise funds for high school-leaving boys who need help to pay for tertiary education. The initiative has been adopted by the Ministry of Education Region 4 leg of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education (JAGCE), where Brown has served as finance chair for the past three years. “I always want to do something for the males. Why? I notice you have fewer males going to university and more females,” Brown explained after the second staging of the JAGCE 5K Run/Walk in Hanover on Sunday. She believes that educational imbalance can create social friction. “When you’re going into a relationship, you want someone that can meet you halfway... Sometimes even the men get intimidated by the women when they are more advanced than they are,” she said.

Organiser of Sunday’s 5K run/walk Judith Brown — who also serves as finance chair for the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education (JAGCE) and is a guidance counsellor at Rusea’s High School in Hanover — proudly displays a symbolic medal as a reminder of the event’s purpose.

Noting that females benefit from numerous social support groups while comparable resources for males are often minimal, Brown has set out to change that dynamic. “There was a time when men used to stand up and we had to respect them and they were assertive, they were able to manage, they were able to be that father,” Brown said of her efforts to help young men reclaim their footing in society. She emphasised the need to change the narrative and help men understand and fulfil their role. “Some have lost their purpose and feel there is no hope because of how they are stigmatised and labelled — and that is not good,” stated Brown who said she is happy to see fathers now standing up to their responsibility. Despite the various hurdles she pointed out, Brown remains fiercely optimistic about the vital role men play. “They have their faults, just as females have faults… We might bad-talk the males but they are human just like us and they are just as special and unique. We can’t live without them and sometimes we can’t live with them, but they are special,” added the high school guidance counsellor. “That is why I want them to understand who they are and to pursue better for themselves and their family, because they have it in them and they can do it — and I’m one woman who is advocating for them,” emphasised Brown. She described this year’s staging of the 5K run/walk as a major success compared to last year’s inaugural event, which served as a learning curve. Last year’s event raised in the region of $85,000, most of which went toward settling bills and assisting counsellors in attending conferences. A portion was also set aside to support a needy student at Cornwall College in St James in memory of a guidance counsellor who died suddenly. This year, however, the focus is squarely on males leaving high school. Brown said her team will determine how many students they can assist from this year’s proceeds, after covering expenses. She is already looking forward to an even more successful event next year. “I was saying to the Lord, ‘Let us make $1 million,’ but it did not work out because we were looking at some students that we would want to give like $100,000 towards their school fee. But, as I said, people don’t know us — JAGCE — so well. They were hesitant to come on board,” stated Brown. She said she has interpreted one expression of interest in sponsoring next year’s event as a sign that they are doing something right. “It’s the teething process and it’s costly but we’re getting there,” assured a confident Brown. She expressed appreciation for her team members and others who contributed to this year’s successful staging of the event. Aside from support from a wide range of public and private sector sponsors, Sunday’s event was supported by a delegation from the association’s Region 6 branch in St Catherine.