Action will take place at Constantine Park, Macoya from 9 am until 7 pm.

Among the NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) expected to take part today are Dretchi, We Care, and the Deaf Empowerment and Advancement Foundation.

Chelsea, 17, is facing more problems than she handle in Dreams Beyond the Shore, the newly released 2016 CODE Burt Award winning Young Adult (YA) novel by Tamika Gibson. When Chelsea meets Kyron, her situation becomes even more complicated.

Dreams Beyond the Shore is a character-driven novel with its fair share of suspense and conflicts.

The novel whitewashes nothing as it captures the political bacchanal of Trinidad for a Young Adult (YA) audience. Realistic dialogue propels the story forward and engulfs readers in a web of deceit as Chelsea and Kyron, a boy from the other side of the tracks, forge a friendship and try to navigate their way through life.

So far the Burt Awards have featured a wide variety of well-written books that appeal to Young Adult (YA) readers. The 2016 winner, however, stands out for its ability to present complex notions of politics and self-identity for YA readers.

The novel explores identity, family, relationships, political consciousness, political corruption and political posturing. It is a smart, age-appropriate love story that explores how class divisions impact on relationships.

Gibson uses a dual narrator so that Chelsea and Kyron can present their own distinct voices and stories.

Determined Chelsea and flirty Kyron are both attracted to each other, but life has taught them to be cautious and suspicious of people.

They must navigate their way through a socio-economic divide that sometimes seems insurmountable.

“I not on rich girls at all,” says Kyron. “I couldn’t deal with the pretentions.

I rather have an average looking, down-to-earth girl…” Gibson does an admirable job of making political issues relevant to teenagers and credible for YA readers in an entertaining way that does not diminish the importance of these issues that teens should be aware of in these times.

“But the only thing Trinis liked smoother than their rum was their leader,” Kyron says. “Plus, we had a habit of voting with bad-mind anyway.

Not electing leaders we liked, just spiting and sending home the ones we didn’t.” Characters operate on multi-dimensional levels. Both Chelsea and Kyron have manipulative fathers who try to control their children’s lives. Chelsea’s father controls voters.

He wants her to have a polished image as a future prime minister’s daughter; Kyron’s father controls his wife and wants to control Kyron’s life by deciding his career path.

Chelsea and Kyron face pressure from their parents to conform to their wishes and their lifestyle. Both teens are forced to examine the role of women in society because they have traditional mothers who are dependent on their fathers.

Education becomes an important conflict in this novel as Chelsea faces the pressure of exams and the decision of whether to pursue secondary studies in the US or elsewhere.

Dreams Beyond the Shore is a worthy first-place winner of the CODE Burt Award. Its bold themes, realistic dialogue and thought-provoking conflicts create a compelling novel for YA readers to explore the problems that teenagers must face while presenting topics, such as politics, which teens should be aware of as they prepare themselves for the challenges of being an adult.

Earthquakes in Mexico, Philippines and China

Drought in Somalia; South Sudan; Nigeria

Hurricanes in British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean

Dengue outbreaks in Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Landslide and mudslides in Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone

Bombings in France and Spain

Trucks used as weapons of murder in Stockholm and Germany and fires in India and UK All of which have devastated many communities and profoundly affected large numbers of people.

Yet, in many instances the psychological and mental health responses within disaster preparedness strategies are inadequate.

When sudden and unexpected tragedies occur, the immediate humanitarian reaction is to focus on the physical needs of those affected.

While that is important, it must not be forgotten that disasters also significantly impact psychological well-being, and therefore mental health requires equal attention.

The shock and disbelief that such a devastating situation has occurred, and the hopes and wishes that it would somehow just be an unpleasant nightmare that will eventually disappear; the feelings of powerlessness, the guilt and frustration of not being able to prevent the situation or help others; and the enduring fears that something equally disastrous could happen again, and in some circumstances the intuitive need to apportion blame, and show hostility towards others, are just some of the feelings that often emerge.

In addition to which, on any given day there are many people struggling with emotional and mental health challenges such as depression, bipolar disorder or addiction.

The World Health Organisation estimates that “one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives”. So, when disasters strike it is not only the trauma of the situation that they will have to contend with.

Anyone who has been in close proximity to a disaster will tell you that often the shock of the situation shakes you to the core and makes you aware of their own vulnerability.

It also presents a greater perspective on coping abilities and resilience, and provides an opportunity for a truer display of humanity and community comradery.

In the wake of a disaster it is great to see that despite negative/ positive emotions and cognitions, people will mobilise themselves and come together to deal with whatever crisis has befallen their community.

That new engagements and interactions will be made, thereby strengthening and fostering community cohesion. But at the heart of it all, is a reminder that there are individuals and families struggling to come to terms with their individual losses of loved ones, possessions, memories, home and community support networks.

There will be groups and organisations suddenly working outside of their area of expertise, navigating and fitting into changing environments, and that the members of those groups are also individuals experiencing their losses and emotional discomforts. The wider community – locally, nationally and internationally will also be affected in some shape or form, whether it is because they have relatives, friends, or kindred connections.

Disasters can have far-reaching effects, and while there are so many unknowns that suddenly emerge when tragedy strikes, making it difficult to prepare for every eventuality, in the immediate aftermath of any tragedy there will always be panic and chaos. But, mental and emotional well-being and community healing should not to be left to chance, instead, a well thought-out, co-ordinated psychological response ought to be one of the facets of effective disaster preparedness.

Dr Yansie Rolston FRSA is a UKbased disability and mental health specialist advisor. She is a social strategist and trainer who works internationally at various levels of government, business and civil society.

Contact her at yr@efficacyeva.com

This plan would see the reversal of traffic flow on Penitence and Mon Chagrin streets from the main shopping centre on High Street.

Traffic which normally flow from Harris Promenade, down Penitence and across High Street into St James Street, will now flow up Penitence from St James Street and left onto High Street.

The flow on Mon Chagrin Street will be changed from left into St James to High Street, to left from High Street and left onto St James Street.

Encouraged by what he sees as the success of traffic arrangements which went into effect two months ago, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said he has studied the plan and is certain it will work.

Regrello said there is a lot of congestion at the High and Penitence streets intersection, when vehicles have to stop on High Street to allow vehicles to cross the road. He said traffic is often backed up to the Promenade and Lower High Street as a result.

“With the new arrangement, vehicles exiting Penitence Street would now be able to turn right onto High Street and make a left into Mon Chagrin. If you drop off someone to do business at one of the two banks at this intersection, First Citizens or Scotia, and there is no place to park, the driver could make a block by going down Mon Chagrin, left onto St James, another left onto Penitence and one onto High Street.

Before you would have had to go all the way up High Street and turn either on the Promenade or on St James Street.” This system was first initiated by former Works Minister Jack Warner but reverted by former Mayor and now Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein.

He said the decision is a culmination of ideas from various stakeholders including taxi drivers.

Regrello said the plan would be reviewed in two weeks’ time. Regrello said he intends to address the traffic congestion caused by parents picking up and dropping off children at Naparima Girls’ High School, which has a student population of close to 1,000.

“That is a nightmare,” the mayor said added that he once stood at the foot of the hill one evening and in a short space of time counted over 300 vehicles going up the hill. He said this creates a back-up on the Vistabella Main Road and Circular Road.

“I have been in class with Samuel taking his notes. The teachers are making sure that he is comfortable and do not fall behind as they write on the board, they also call out the notes for Samuel. He has been able to keep up with all his classes, so far,” said Modeste .

Although she continues to make the sacrifice for her son, Modeste said they are in desperate need for a student aid to be present at St Anthony’s College. “A student aid was supposed to be provided at the beginning of the school term. It was pushed back to September 11 and still Samuel is presently without one. He is my son, I don’t mind making the sacrifice but I have to take time away from work,” said Modeste, a domestic cleaner .

Samuel has been enjoying his classes at St Anthony’s where he takes an active role by asking questions. Some of his favourite subjects included French, Spanish, visual and performing arts along with integrated science .

“I have been using the laptop I received from (Education) Minister (Terrence) Deyalsingh to do some of my work,” said Williams with a smile .

“The Blind Welfare Association has his textbooks which they are converting to Braille. It is a time consuming process but he would be better equipped when he receives the Braille version of the textbooks,” added Modeste .

An official of the association said that the student aid is for students with special needs, blind and visually impaired and is supplied by the Ministry of Education .

“What we have been informed is that the contracts for these cases have come to an end and they have not been renewed. We at the Blind Welfare Association are aware of 15 children in the public school system who are in need of a student aid .

“These children are at a disadvantage. The association is exploring the possibility when our budget is allocated, to possibly pay for some of the children to get a student aid,” said the association’s chairman Felix Cazoe .

Association CEO Kenneth Suratt said a student aid will dictate the information the teacher is writing on the board into Braille .

“For instance if a map of TT is drawn on ordinary paper, a blind person would not be able to make sense of it but if different gradients and textures of sandpaper is used, that would help .

“Through our welfare department the intervention we are trying to make is to allocate funds towards hiring a few student aids who would also teach the children about mobility and how to move around independently .

We are having a problem converting the textbooks into Braille, as it is a manual process that takes long to do .

“What we are proposing for the ministry is that all the books they are using in the classroom should also have a soft-copy version .

Once there is a soft copy, the child who is blind can use software to read the words to him,” said Suratt .

He added that Samuel should not be an exception, but the norm in regard to the ability of children with special needs and those visually impaired to lead successful lives .

“We are proud of him and we want him to have all the support he needs to be successful,” said Suratt .

The National Policy on Persons with Disability advocates for the disabled to have the same rights and responsibilities and should enjoy equal access to the services available to each and every citizen .

“However, these policies are not law…some are still a draft,” said Cazoe .

“The Ministry of Education must partner with the TTBWA in this regard. We want the best for Samuel, but he one of many visually impaired children who are at a disadvantage,” Suratt said .

Contacted for comment .

Yolanda Morales- Carvalho, the Ministry of Education’s Communications Manager stated that the ministry is working to address the matter .

This was the recurring theme presented by Cedric Washington last week at the Caribbean Security Forum held at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain. He gave a lengthy presentation about gang violence, its nature and strategies to address it.

“We have the same problem as you do in TT, as it pertains to murder, detection and solving these crimes, but what helped us in California was the use of GPS monitoring for offenders, covert social media accounts, covert operations and sentence enhancement,” said Washington, a police officer for the past 26 years with the LAPD.

In California ,there is an act titled, California Street Terrorism Enhancement Prevention Act, which gives law enforcement the opportunity to arrest a person and then enhance their sentence by a lot of time.

“For instance if we arrest him for robbery, murder or rape if we can prove that he is a gang member then we can enhance their sentence significantly, keeping him off the streets,” Washington said.

“These strategies can possibly be used by TT to deter criminal activity, but law enforcement abusing their power in any way will not solve the problem,” Washington added.

Wendell Wallace, local Barrister and Criminologist also presented on strategies to address gang related crime.

His presentation titled Understanding, Responding and Treating with the Threat of Gangs in TT highlighted the prevalence of gangs in TT.

According to Wallace’s research there are heavy concentrations of gangs in Portof- Spain, Western Division, North-Eastern Division and Central Division.

“In terms of the prevalence of gangs we will always have conflicting figures as it pertains to the exact number of gangs,” said Wallace.

He explained that there is a large cross-section of youths who are involved in petty gang activity and the serious gang activities are perpetrated by a small group of individuals within society.

“Crime and gang activity are social problems, this is important because we need to understand gang characteristics before we can effectively treat with the problem. If you have an improper diagnosis in terms of the levels of gangs in TT then proposed solutions will not work,” said Wallace.

Director of the Ensafe (Institution for Health, Safety and Counselling Training) and New Vision Learning Centre on Coffee Street in San Fernando Hassim Ali made this announcement on the weekend during a ceremony to hand over food supplies, clothing and pharmaceutical items to be shipped to Dominica.

Ali said the school would offer scholarships to ten students valued $56,000. He said the scholarships would be offered to students in the field of phlebotomy, Nebosh and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSE C) classes. Nebosh is a UK-based independent examination board delivering vocational qualifications in health, safety and environmental practice and management.

Ali said tuition would also cover uniforms, books and extra fees. He said two students would receive the phlebotomy scholarship, three would be selected for the Nebosh course and five would be offered private tuition in different subject areas in CSE C.

Ali said his offer is an open invitation to the Prime Minister and other agencies to meet with him to discuss and finalise details of the proposals.

“It is an open invitation to the Prime Minister to come meet with me as we are willing to open our doors to these students. We are here to help,” Ali said.

Last week Tuesday, Category 5 Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica leaving hundreds homeless. At least 17 people were killed while 20 others are still missing and feared dead. Many areas of the island have also been cut off due to damage to roads and other infrastructure.

“It is heart-breaking to know what these people are going through, but they are our neighbours and if you can help your neighbour you should act upon it. If your neighbour roof was blown off I am sure you would want to help, the Dominican nationals are our Caribbean neighbours,” Ali said.

He added that citizens need to open their hearts and remember that giving is divine.

The Ensafe Institution is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago while the New Vision in Learning is recognized by the Education Ministry. Ali said students took money from their pockets to purchase cases of water, tinned food items, clothing and more that would be sent to Dominica.

Saying that film-making is not the exclusive preserve of the young, he keenly noted that one of TT’s current emerging film-makers is a retired public servant.

Urging everyone to break the chains around culture, Ramesar urged, “If you want to get the best film and stories that are out there, you’ve got to spread your net wide.” He noted that Jamaican reggae icon, the late Bob Marley, was born in an obscure little village, Nine Miles, even as it was later noted that TT’s Nobel Laureate author Earl Lovelace lived in far-flung Toco.

Ramesar said that patriotism is not about buying a red, white and black flag, but about respecting all of your fellow citizens and affording them an opportunity.

Animation pioneer Camille Selvon Abraham said her field offers opportunities for autistic students some of whom have already proven themselves in that field.

If institutional support is given, she saw huge potential for animation, saying it would generate many job opportunities for designers, storytellers, musicians and comedians.

Dr Marielle Barrow, a social entrepreneur of the group “Caribbean In Transit” and “This Is Me”, spoke of the challenges she’d faced in helping youngsters from a wide range of backgrounds in the region to be trained in the arts including its business side.

Saying such training also involves a life-skills component for vulnerable youngsters, she said that one must deal with these social issues such as poverty so as to help them reach to a higher level artistically. Phase II ace pannist Yohan Chuckaree asked guests to raise their hands if they knew where to buy a steelpan.

He surmised, “In a roomful of Trinidadians, only five people know where to buy the national instrument.” However on a positive note he said his firm has begun digitally recording samples of local people playing acoustic instruments, including the Laventille Rhythm Section. “A guy sitting on the Eastern Main Road, Laventille is now being used by a music producer in California, or in Asia.” However Chuckaree said the creative sector needs a roadmap, saying, “Export TT wants to help us but doesn’t know where to start.” He said it is a challenge to deal with banks who do not understand how local creators are using e-commerce to sell their innovations overseas.

“We and the corporate sector must start believing in ourselves.

Our culture can stand up on the world stage.” In the question session, Costa Rica Ambassador Lilly Edgerton Picado said TT’s abundance of talent is mind-blowing but she said creative personalities must also face up to the realities of business, such as crafting a business plan and properly pitching the price of their works.

Rudolph Hanamji of the Calabash Foundation asked all present to consider what is the advocacy gap that is preventing long-espoused ideas from bearing fruit?

The TICC are overwhelmed by the destruction and devastation caused by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The TICC have grown to become of the one premier sporting events in the Caribbean with participants from almost every island and territory in the region.

Chairman of TICC, Jeffrey Charles, said his team is saddened by loss of life and property as a result of the unfortunate and catastrophic natural disasters.

“We cannot stand aside without lending a helping hand. We are partnering with Living Waters and TEMA to raised much needed funds and supplies and to show our support and solidarity to our Caribbean neighbours.” Charles added that the event has been impacted as several confirmed teams and riders were forced to cancel their participation in this year’s edition due to pedal off on Wednesday and end next Sunday.

“The TICC 2017 organisers are disappointed with the cancellations however, the suffering and anguish experienced by the victims, are the major concerns for us all and most definitely outweigh our disappointment.” Donations of cash or items can be made.

Cash deposits to the Living Waters Community can be done via its RBC Royal Bank account #100091110130182 or persons can drop off their items or cash/ cheque contribution at the Living Waters Community Building at 109 Frederick Street, Port of Spain or at its Warehouse at Frederick Settlement, Caroni.

Persons can also contact Living Waters at 662-5404 or 623-4677.

TEMA is accepting donations at its Headquarters in Fairfield Complex, Bacolet, Scarborough where materials contributions are to dropped off. Clothings are to left at TEMA’s warehouse in Signal Hill, near the Army camp and monetary donations can be made at the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society Disaster Relief Fund any Republic Bank branch. The account number is 180482517101.

Goals by 22-year-old St. Lucia international Shirvone Malik St. Prix and 20-year-old Jameel Antoine cushioned the “Savonetta Boys” in the first half against Civic before winger Benjamin, the 23-year-old who leads the 2017 scoring list, snatched his ninth league goal of the term to complete a third straight league win for coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier’s men.

Connection’s position in second improved to 23 points, one point behind North East Stars (24 points), 6-0 winners over three-time holders Central FC 6-0 on Friday, ahead of an forthcoming two-week break to facilitate the Trinidad and Tobago team’s preparations for final World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Mexico and USA on October 7 and 10 respectively.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Morvant Caledonia United snapped an eight-game winless spell in the league with only their second win after defeating Police FC 2-1 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Sheldon Holder and Lester Joseph cushioned Morvant Caledonia early with strikes in the seventh and 31st minutes before Police pulled a late goal back through a converted penalty strike by veteran midfielder Todd Ryan five minutes from the end.

Morvant Caledonia, who travel to Civic tomorrow in a rescheduled fixture from 6 pm at the Mahaica Oval, moved three spots up, joining Central FC and Police on 10 points with the latter two slipping a place into seventh and eighth respectively.

And yesterday, bottom- placed MIC-IT St Ann’s Rangers, in one of their surprises this season, held third-positioned Club Sando to a goalless draw in St Augustine.

(ttpr oleague.com)