And the winner is...

Here we are, the long awaited 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts official program, complete with photographs and profiles of the 25 truly remarkable teens selected for this special recognition.  The file is huge so I will only be able to post a couple of profiles today with more in the days ahead.  I hope you enjoy reading the profiles and appreciate the courage, faith and sheer determination these young people have demonstrated as they found meaning and purpose in the journey that is the story of their life to now.

KAILAH JAMES 
COURAGE TO OVERCOME:  HEALTH CONDITION

 

Kailah was excited about the upcoming school year.  She had lots of plans for her second year of high school and looked forward to the opportunities that lay ahead. Kailah’s world was a happy place; she loved the dawn of each day.  

On August 9, 2007 all that changed.  Kailah woke with a nagging back pain, a persistent ache that increased during the day. On the sixth day, Kailah was in the shower when she felt like she was going to collapse.  She began to see all kinds of colors, especially red, and when she tried to walk down the hall to return to her bedroom she realized she couldn’t feel the ground beneath her feet.  Her mother called an ambulance and Kailah was raced to the hospital.  Lying in the hospital bed, Kailah realized she was paralyzed.  “I felt like I was going to die,” she says.  “I couldn’t move; I couldn’t feel my limbs.  It was like everything shut down. I was angry, mad at everything and everyone.  I kept asking for my life to be ended when suddenly, a peace came over me, and I knew I would accept my fate.  I don’t know if what I experienced at that moment is what people call ‘divine intervention’ but I know I was embraced by a force of spirit that filled me with strength and hope, and I knew that from that day on I could endure anything.”

Kailah went to Antigua for an MRI and was diagnosed with Acute Transverse Myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by an inflammatory process affecting a thickening of the spinal cord.  What preceded Kailah contracting this condition is not known, but the medical professionals say there are several stages of recovery from partial to full recovery, so the prognosis is hopeful though the timeline is uncertain.  It has been four years now, and Kailah’s optimism and courage have allowed her to turn this crippling disability into an inspiration that speaks to the power of the human spirit.

Kailah embraces everything she does with an exuberance and determination that is remarkable. She loves computers and is learning graphic design. Kailah also enjoys writing lyrics and hopes to one day publish her songs.  In September, she performed an original song at the Independence Day Gala.

 “I think I’m a nicer person since the paralysis, and I definitely have more perspective,” she says.  “I have learned that an emotional disability is much more crippling than a physical disability.  I want to use my story to motivate others, to tell people that the impossible is possible as long as you have faith and never ever give up.”

Clifford Govia, principal of Washington Archibald High School, states "Kailah’s resilience exemplifies courage.  Other children, even adults would have given up or become depressed and withdrawn, yet Kailah remains strong willed and determined in the face of adversity.”

Kailah James is a 16 year old recent graduate of Washington Archibald High School.  She is being honored as a Remarkable Teen in the category of Courage to Overcome: Health Condition. 

RAHEEM DEPUSOIR

MOST ENTERPRISING

What makes Raheem especially remarkable is his ability to channel his love for animals into something truly enterprising.  Nominated by his reading tutor, Millicent Nash, Raheem is a struggling reader who as part of a group of young people with the same difficulty receives extra help.  Explains Miss Nash when asked about Raheem, “When the session is finished, Raheem always stays back for an individual session. He is willing to do whatever it takes to learn.”

From pit bulls to rabbits, Raheem loves animals.  He lives in Belle Vue Village with his mother, grandmother, uncle, aunts, cousins and some of his 19 siblings. 

Several years ago, Raheem’s uncle gave him a donkey to care for and Raheem turned this gift into a thriving enterprise. Recognizing that tourists on their way to Black Rocks were taken by the young boy with the donkey, Raheem began posing for photographs with the tourists and the donkey, and eventually offering donkey rides. Charging $1.00 for a photograph and $2.00 for a ride, Raheem was soon earning money.  On being a successful business man at the age of 12, Raheem says “it makes me feel special and smart.”  Raheem is a confident and determined young man.  When asked for one word he would use to best describe himself, Raheem said “brilliant.”

Raheem hates to see animals hurt, explaining that it is the one thing that makes him unhappy.   His dream is to become a veterinarian and to turn his love for animals into a life long career.  Raheem uses some of the money he earns from his business for school supplies and gives the rest to his mother to save toward his college education. 

            Raheem Depusoir is a 12 year old first form student at Saddlers Secondary School. Raheem plans to attend Ross University and become a veterinarian.  He receives the Remarkable Teen honor in the category of Most Enterprising.

JOSIAH OYEBEFUN

SCHOLAR ATHLETE

Josiah is a sprinter and competes regionally, nationally and internationally in the 100, 200, and 400 meter races.  He holds the national record in his age group for the 200 meter at 22.49s.  Even at the age of 15 Josiah is a young man who has received numerous awards and recognitions for his athletic skill, including the 2009 prestigious Victor Ludorum “Champion of the Games” award for most outstanding male athlete in St. Kitts.   Most recently in 2011 Josiah received a gold medal in the 200M where he set a record at the Inter School Competition and he earned a gold medal in the 100M at the same event.  He also received a gold medal in the 400M at the National Junior Championship.  In addition, Josiah represented St. Kitts and Nevis at the Carifta Games in Jamaica, qualifying 14^th in the 200M. 

Josiah’s commitment to athletics is not the only area in which Josiah stands out.  He is also an honored academic student placing in the top five percent of his class and named on both the Honor roll and Principal’s List at Washington Archibald High School.  Josiah is also a creative young man and enjoys writing short stories and poems. 

In a sport where 4/100^th of a second is the difference between silver and gold, it takes focus, discipline and determination to be the best.  Josiah is all that and more.  He is tough but gentle; a thoughtful young man with an open heart who strives to do his best in everything he does.  When asked where he gets his motivation to push beyond in track, Josiah relates a story from primary school.  “In 2008, I moved to Beach Allen from Molineaux.  I was sort of a fat awkward kid and didn’t feel like I fit.  I decided to try running and did okay, but when I challenged a classmate who was the fastest runner in the school, I lost.  It was then that I realized I had a competitive nature and that I could use that energy in a positive way. Timothy Morton, the coach at Beach Allen, saw my potential and agreed to train me.  With his support and my hard work, I vowed that I would never lose to my classmate again, and to this day I haven’t.”

Josiah gives back to the community by mentoring young children to stay positive and believe in themselves.  “I try to encourage every child I meet to reach for their personal best,” he says, “whatever that may be and where ever their interests may take them.”  Josiah would like to continue to share his story of determination and discipline throughout his life.  He is as committed to being an inspiration to others as he is to his own future.

Josiah Oyebufun is a 15 year old student at Washington Archibald High School who plans to pursue a career in sports medicine.  He receives the Remarkable Teen honor as a Scholar Athlete for his combined academic and athletic ability. 

And so and so said so and so.....

Let me share a little with you about working here in St. Kitts; more specifically about working in the Department of Blank.  In a word, 'frustrating', in another word often 'infuriating', and in yet two more words, 'defys logic'.


I thought things were on track for the upcoming 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts award presentation scheduled for November 10th, and felt that months of hard work had finally come together.  The person who must approve the request for a special sitting of Parliament, gave his approval.  The Honorable Curtis Martin, Speaker of the National Assembly, who is the person who has to approve logistics and any requested changes to regular Parliamentary procedure, reviewed the plans and gave his approval.  Profiles of each recipient were completed, each telling the story of the honoree with information gleaned from hours of interviews, phone calls, additional contacts and some good old fashioned creative license.  The program design was well on its way to completion, with my friend and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Chris Nelson once again taking charge with his special genius for this specialized task.


A list of guests had been compiled - 170 including the 25 teens and their 25 SKYNPA presenters plus the Government Ministers and Parliament Representatives;  standing room only and quite a wide reach within these small chambers. The presentation was to be aired Live on ZIZ for an even broader national audience, and plans for several radio interviews promoting the event had been scheduled.  Quite an opportunity for these 25 Remarkable Teens to have their individual stories of courage, determination, compassion, commitment, talent and just plain hard work heard around the nation.


So what's the problem?  I can't get a group photo of the Government Minsters and Federal Parliamentarians for the official program because so and so said so and so will get it, and so and so said they're too busy and it's not their job, and so and so said so and so would create a montage and get it to me by Tuesday latest, but that so and so said it was the first he/she had heard of this request and in a word "it couldn't be done." (This back and forth went on for a full two weeks before I decided to leave those photos out of the final printed program.)  


Recipient interviews for the one hour television program to be aired throughout the month of November were a logistical nightmare to schedule, but the job got done and the interviews were all taped. However, now there doesn't seem to be anyone willing to edit the raw footage or add the graphics to the film because so and so has problems with so and so, who has territorial issues with so and so, and so and so said everyone expects them to do everything and to ask so and so to do it, but so and so doesn't have the time, and besides "it's not my job."  Yesterday, I went to the information office and asked for the tapes back.  I will try to find someone outside of the asylum willing to volunteer to do what needs to be done to finalize the program, and if I can't find anyone, then there will be no television program.  It is a shame though, that these difficult people can't seem to put aside their petty differences to focus on celebrating the kids and the power of their collective human spirit.


Then there is the ink.  In order to get the programs printed, I needed to get approval from the  for color ink to give to the print shop.  Both Mr. Blank and the person appointed to oversee Blank said "no problem, you can count on whatever you need."  Three weeks later, nose to nose with the deadline, I am told that an invoice signed by the Overseer in my presence, hasn't actually been approved by 'in the system' because there is no balance in the account to which he assigned the expenditure.  A couple of days later, money was found (or so I was told) and assigned to the correct account and the required process began again.  The Overseer signed off on the release of funds 'in the system" when a new glitch glared; the woman at CPU, the office distributing supplies, would not release nor expedite the order, insisting that protocol calls for a three day waiting period once approved payment has been received, and insisting that the money has yet to be moved from Peter to pay Paul. So, I am still waiting.


And by the way, I am not making any new friends during this insanity.  I've become the pushy American, someone who does not follow rules; a person insensitive to protocol, ignorant of process and procedure, a 'rocking the boat' kind of woman; one of THEM.   Where have I experienced this brick wall of unbending stiff necked obstinacy before? Hmmmm.

So while I can't wait for you to meet the kids and plan to post their profiles and pictures on future blog entries, I first wanted to share my story of broken machines and squeaky wheels and I wanted someone to commiserate with. 

And so it goes.

A Little Bit of This and That

Thought you might enjoy taking a look at these signs/posters I've picked up along the way. 

This one should hang in kids bedrooms everywhere.

This sign should be posted everywhere boys with drooping britches walk.

A sign posted in the window at McDonalds.

Perfect answer.

Not sure where I'd put this one, but I'm down for the message.

Wow.

Very true.

Not much time to write today. In sort of an edgy, reflective, philosophical mode after an especially frustrating work week - make that a madding-ly frustrating work week.  But still, I  remain refreshingly optimistic about Monday. 
I will leave you with something I've been thinking a lot while interviewing these 100 or so kids for the program I'm working on.  Many of them have gone through much loss, aloneness and hurt.  While they have seemingly overcome their adversity with grace and courage, they still hold deep scars and fears about their futures.  I am a firm believer in the idea that abandonment is the wound at the heart of human experience.  It not only represents core human fear but it is something we’ve all experienced at one time or another.  So on that note, let's all try to be just a little kinder to one another.


And so it goes on this first day of October, 2011.