Royette Williams-James Creating a Positive Mindset

In January of this year, Positive Mindset launched its newest initiative targeting the development and empowerment of adolescent girls from ages 11 to 17. The programme, called Confident Girls: Dynamic Women, hopes to inspire, educate, empower, value, and support teenage girls, foster a sense of purpose, and encourage them to reach their fullest potential.

With a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Education in International Teaching, Royette’s academic credentials lend themselves to the developmental work she has built her career upon.

For the past seven years, she has been appointed as a secondary school guidance counsellor with the Ministry of Education, Student Support Services Division.

Royette’s main focus in this position is to assist in the holistic development of young people in relation to three domains: personal- social, academic, and career.

However, she notes that there are many other glaring issues facing our adolescent population apart from these areas. From her experience, she says these problems include family dysfunction, lack of attention, low self-esteem, parental alienation, self-injury, depression, friendship, bullying, cyber-bullying, all forms of abuse, violence, issues with identity, issues with sexuality, unhealthy relationships, and poor role models (and, as she notes, these are only a fraction of the nameable problems teenagers on our shores face).

“Our young people have been given the short end of the stick,” says Royette of the specific issues facing our youth. “They are being blamed for every issue too many times and we, as adults, don’t understand them nor the countless issues that are plaguing them.” While acknowledging several agencies throughout our islands that cater to the needs of our young people, she believes more attention and education is needed to help teenagers navigate this “turbulent time” in their lives. Instead of our commonplace reactionary culture, she thinks we must be more pro-active instead of only seeking to right wrongs after a crisis has popped up.

For the past 20 years, Royette has worked with adolescents – first teaching in secondary school on her island of Dominica and now closely with secondary school children here – as a teacher and counsellor. “I would say I have a comprehensive understanding of them and their behavioural patterns. From where I sit, young people are not to be blamed. What is lacking is the support systems,” she says of the root of the problems the younger population faces.

“When I teach my Understanding Adolescents class, I tell the students if they want to know why a young person is exhibiting such behaviours, just go home!” She believes institutions and civil society groups must step up to the plate and serve youth better, as well as cultures of Young People’s Oppression being broken to make way for “saving” our young people. “We blame, malign, criticise, and disrespect young people,” she laments, instead of supporting and guiding dutifully.

When it comes to adolescent girls, Royette is hoping that through Positive Mindset and her Confident Girls programme, she can lay this foundation that she says is necessary and oftentimes missing in girls’ upbringing.

“It should be noted, many people, even the adolescents themselves, consider this period of transition as negative,” she says, referencing media reports that focus on negative headlines involving adolescents and criminal activity, sexual violence, drug- and alcohol-related infractions, and suicides. “Notwithstanding professional literature that frequently portrays the adolescent stage as a negative part of life – a period of stormy stress to be survived or endured,” she adds.

She continues that most of what is understood and studied about girls and teenage girls is usually limited to emotional, cognitive, or sexual matters. “We believe this is a socially construed concept that is responsible for the negative social stigma. Adolescents have much more to offer society rather than engaging in risky behaviours,” she refers to the empowerment she believes adolescents need to rise above society’s standards.

Confident Girls has a 12-week syllabus and is designed to promote positive development in female adolescents through curriculum-guided, interactive group discussions, and positive adult guidance and support.

“The primary objectives of this empowerment programme are to promote the development of healthy behaviours and self-care so teens can avoid risk and achieve an education and other life goals, support the acquisition of valuable life skills in areas of relationships, communication, and decision-making, and provide teens with a sense of purpose, increasing knowledge of their own worth as they contribute to nation building,” Royette expands. She envisions that by the end of the 12-week programme the girls in attendance will feel loved, valued, self-assured and will be better equipped to face negative challenges that may come.

Launched in January in San Fernando, Royette says the programme has a tentative start date of May 13. The sessions will be held Saturdays, between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm (venue to be announced). Programme topics will include, among several more, Development & Sexuality (puberty, teen sexuality, body changes, ST Is), Relationships (love & love languages, peer pressure, dating, teen dating violence, friendship, healthy boundaries), Social Media (sexting, sextortion, cyber bullying, social networking), and Mental Health (depression & anxiety, social anxiety disorders, self-injury, and suicide).

The programme is a collaborative effort between Positive Mindset, Issachar & Spero Consultancy Psychological Services, Caring Hands Family Services Organisation, a Chaguanas-based NGO, and the Priceless Foundation for Women, a San Fernando- based NGO.

“The first instalment of this programme will be facilitated by Ms Denielle Placide and Ms Christiana Mitchel of the Priceless Foundation for Women,” Royette says, adding that they have decided to focus on at-risk teens from in and around San Fernando since this is where the NGO is based.

Positive Mindset will also be facilitating a twoday interactive workshop titled Understanding & Intervening in Bullying Behaviour, targeted at teachers, on April 19 and 20 at the Chaguanas Indoor Facility. Given the recent reports of bullying in some of our nation’s schools, she believes this is a good time as any, so that teachers may return to school after the Easter holidays armed with the n ecessary skills and information on combating such issues.

“I believe that the cornerstone in the prevention of bullying at our nation’s schools is promoting a positive school culture and climate that is welcoming of differences and diversity and is based on inclusivity and respect,” she says.

Apart from a general overview of the issue, the workshop’s focus will be solution-based.

At the end of the two-day training, Royette hopes teachers will be able to formulate anti-bullying prevention plans, become more vigilant when dealing with reports of bullying, and a better understanding of the behavioural motivation of the bully.

Lastly, Royette repeats that we must foster a more solution- driven culture when it comes to adolescents, as opposed to reactionary tactics.

“We need to help the future of this nation by understanding adolescents and what they have to offer,” she implores of the attention and respect our young people deserve.

“We need to hit the ground running and come up with positive solutions to help fight the crime situation.

We need to start in our homes, our churches, our schools, and our communities.

“Let us try to empower these young people so they can contribute positively to not only building their lives, but by extension Trinidad and Tobago.” For registration and further information, you can contact Royette at 463-5513 or email positivemindsetinc@gmail.

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