Minister of Youth, Esther Byer Suckoo, enjoying the musical presentations??at the??Child Care Board???s Inaugural Schools??? Choir Festival.

Young Barbadians have been challenged to seize their dreams and work towards maximising their potential.

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This advice has come from Minister of Youth, Esther Byer Suckoo, who reminded them that like Rihanna and others, their skills were not limited to these shores, but could be extended regionally and internationally.

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She made the comments yesterday, while delivering the feature address at the Child Care Board???s Inaugural Schools??? Choir Festival at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. She described the event as ???innovative??? and an excellent opportunity to showcase the students??? talents.

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The theme of this year???s Child Month celebrations is ???Building Tomorrow???s World Begins With Today???s Children??? and Dr. Byer Suckoo told the gathering that whatever negative or positive things were done would impact on the development of the children. ???We need to invest positively in the lives of our children now, and pass on the necessary skills of empathy, competence and character to lead and move this nation forward??? Parents, adults and guardians have a responsibility to raise children with strong characters and positive values and ethics,??? she said.

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Stressing that raising children with character demanded time and personal attention, she suggested that adults should assist by being examples and conduits for good communication.

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Additionally, Dr. Byer Suckoo proffered the view that parents must provide positive reinforcement and encouragement for their offspring.?????Not only scolding or punishing, but encouraging and rewarding their positive actions. Children respond better to encouragement than to a belt or cou-cou stick. Children will make mistakes, but so does everyone. Don???t put them down when they do, but help them to learn from those mistakes,??? she added.

The Minister reminded parents of Class Four children who wrote the Common Entrance Examination, today that they parents were not at the end of their assignment, because pre-teens needed them now more than ever. She opined that they would be exposed to new and greater dangers in secondary school and encouraged the parents to ???meet the children???s new friends, insist on homework, monitor all activities and get involved in their new school.?????She asserted that children whose parents got involved in their school-life were less likely to turn to deviant behaviour.

saustin@barbados.gov.bb

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